Hi everyone
Not feeling good as of late I have a few Q's for everyone. I know someone just had a pec minor surgery it was brought up to me I may need one also, but I had already had my TOS surgery the rib removal and scalen along with symphatic nerve for RSD. Has anyone else had this done after your TOS surgery? and did it help? I know I'm willing to try it for my pain is rising again, and it seems that my pec minor is constricting my nerves and hurts really bad. So any help would be good thanks...

Hi Flippin,
If I am not mistaken I think Beth did. Hopefully she will see this and answer you soon. I had the bilateral pec minor release 2 weeks ago. DR Sanders is pretty certain that's where my compressions was. And I believe it was too because my symptoms dramtically improved. Hope this helps! IHtos

Hi flippin',

I had my pec minor releases (bi-lateral) done AFTER the TOS surgeries.

It helped, but not enough to warrant losing the stability and movements that the pec minors give. My situation was weird tho - my insurance was running out in 30 days. I went to Denver and had nerve block done on the right side. It helped (and 24 hrs later I was having the surgeries). If my insurance was continuing, I would have opted to do nerve blocks for as long as they helped BEFORE doing the pec minor releases.

Now I'm experiencing tearing in my forearm and sternum - the areas that are trying to compensate for the pec minors. Also having lots of pain in the arm pits and pec minor insertion areas. Don't know why. Scar tissue?

Hope this is what you were looking for.

What is bothering you pain-wise the most right now?

Anne

astern--just wondering-what does Dr Sanders say about your sypmtoms post pec-minor release? Is there anything that can be done like strengthening or should time have a benefit to your situation? i really hope you get some relief post multiple surgeries.

flippin--have you had a diax telling you its the pec minor? what was the effect or removing the symphatic nerve?

Hi Fern,

I don't see Dr Sanders. My surgeon was Dr Annest and I havent called him about it. Our last conversation (1 yr ago+) was that there was nothing else he could do for me - more surgery was not an option, and dangerous for me and the only option left was a SCM implant. I need a Dr locally who can deal with 'me'. I have a Feldenkrais therapist who dx me with why I'm hurting in my upper arms and sternum and she gave me helpful hints on how to cope. But it's still difficult NOT to reach for that thing or use my arms away from my body/center of gravity.

astern thanks ! that is what will happen to me, I will get blocks done to see if it will be helpful to me. I worry also since having the procedure done I will have to use other muscles to compensate and I have other issues also concerning RSD, and other muscles that are doing the same thing. I do not want a implant and am afraid I will be told the same thing nothing else can be done and be released to PM which is ok but I think I will do or try to have blocks as long as I can. I will let you all know.

Astern, I wondered who else had pec minor release surgery. I'm sorry it hasnt helped you. I wondered about how the loss of the pec minors has affected those who had it done. It's the only surgery I have had done. I hope that it's the only one. Crossing fingers here. Did you notice all these things immediately after the pec minor release or has the instability and pain in arm pits been a progressive thing? Thanks!!

Flippinout, I got a pm from Beth, and I think she also had rib/scalene removed , has RSD, and then the pec minor release on 1 side.

Hi ihtos,

Immediately you lose the ability to do things like pick up a child, a bag of groceries - anything you might do with your arms pressing towards each other. Remember isometrics? (us girls used to do this as teenegers hoping to increase cup size ) Pressing your palms against eachother activates your pecs. Anything like that or even using arms away from the body... these are the movements you lose.

But you know, I felt tearing in my sternum before the pec minor surgery.

The arm pulling/tearing feeling has only started happening in the last year (2 years postop). I believe this is progressive, after 2 years of trying to cope on my own (with no help lifting things) my muscle groups are over taxed.

I hope the one surgery you had will be enough to carry you thru to some better quality of life. Maybe repeated pec minor blocks will be all you need to beat this thing!!

Anne, when I had my right pec minor tendon detached, I experienced similar feelings of instabilty - for 8-10 months or so. I don't do a lot with that arm, which has RSD the worst, but I am now able to lift a gallon of milk and pour it, carry a small stack of books, open a door that isn't heavy, without major discomfort or a later flare. A heavy door, or carrying much weight for too long a time WILL flare me badly.

I wonder if the difference in our healing lies in a difference in where the tendon re-attached? I truly can't imagine having both scaps detached from the pec minor attachment at the same time - but I understand you had NO choice about timing. I am fairly sure though, sister Anne, that you and I were the guinea pigs for this surgery, and it has been further refined - such as Dr Sanders taking an inch of the tendon to prevent it reattaching. There simply was NO description of this procedure when we had ours done - because no Dr was doing it. Which I still don't understand, as all the literature TALKS about the pec minor being one of the points of compression!

And, in my case, and yours, the cords were severely damaged, leading to muscle atrophy in the hand. The pec minor compression at the axilla is the cause of that TERRIBLE pain that feels as though someone's been jabbing a broomstick handle into your armpit 24/7! That disappeared thankfully immediately post-op!

There seems to me there still should be a better way to make additional room for the nerve cords and/or vein/artery, rather than taking away a muscle attachment and asking the body to adapt, especially in an already compromised area. What about inserting very small thin saline pillows near the nerves, BELOW the pec minor, just to lift the muscle a tiny bit in the needed area? We know hyperbaric oxygen has worked well for some TOSers, I believe the rich oxygen helps eliminate the on-going inflammation that causes irritation and swelling. But insurance won't cover HBOT for TOS, and it's not easily available in most parts of the country.

So for now, surgery for pec minor compression is probably the answer when PT fails - but, like with rib resection, only MORE so, I would URGE you to seek a top surgeon who has done several of them, who can anwer your questions and who has a post-op PT protocol.


beth

Hi sister Beth!!

Yes, if memory serves me correctly, we were the guinea pigs for this procedure. Which is why I believe it's important to share our experiences with other TOSsers as well as our beloved Surgeons.

I wanna be a VALUABLE guinea pig, not a discarded one. As time passes, sx can change or evolve. I had no idea the muscle could re-attach itself!! as far as I know mine were left 'floating' on the detached side. I'll go back and reread the op report.

So glad to know you acn lift a gallon of milk!! I'm having a hard time with 1/2 galons.


Anne