often wondered what areas are the most likely to be where vascular and neurogenic compression are taking place? Since some tos specialists have performed thousands of tos decompressions and been inside the various areas and seen first hand ,how helpful and informative if these results could be gathered and quantified.Correlating this info could be helpful in aiming imaging devices and interpreting raw data from emgs and ncs etc.I have a vascular surgeon who tells me he only does the rib resection to attack tos, when one considers some other areas the scalene muscles ,overdeveloped musclature in the chest area and so on that could be the root cause this doctors simplistic approach seems doomed to failure in many cases.

any thoughts??

I think that each individual can have compression in different areas or multiple areas - depending on anatomy, anomalies, injuries.

But roughly here:


ok, I'll stop being a smartypants now. I blame the meds.

My vascular TOS compressed my subclavian vain shut, which is pretty typical of venous TOS, as I understand it. I do believe that a repetitive motion in my shoulder AND being overly muscular in the chest area (due to the sports that I do) contributed to or probably even caused my venous TOS.

I have thought about this subject long and hard, so it is interesting that you bring it up, Richard. Sadly, I have not found any really good long term studies of the different circumstances of TOS patients; how it was diagnosed and what symptoms patients were having, why or how they got it, what was done about it (surgery, PT, etc.) and long term what the results were for patients - successes and failures. It indeed would be great to see a group of doctors get together and compile their information and conduct long term studies on all types of TOS patients.

I haven't looked for new info lately, but here's some previously posted articles that have some info that might be what you are thinking about.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ad.php?t=17275

Astern- that picture of the "evil scalenes" is AWESOME. I'm printing it off. It may be my new background on the computer!!

I had the rib recection and the removal of a scalene muscle because I was told they were attached.

Worked for me!

Peggy