My doctor told me yesterday that he doesn't think it's TOS because my CT, ultrasound, and EMG all came back negative. He said for me to do some research on my own and bring to him in 2 weeks and maybe we can figure out what's wrong with me. I already have a lot of TOS info and was wondering if anyone knows of any good web sites of conditions that are similar to TOS? BTW, 3 physical therapists think I have TOS despite what the doctor says. Also has anyone had much success with yoga? The doctor recommended that I try yoga classes 3-5 times a week and I'm just not convinced that's a good idea as I can only tolerate very minimal stretching at PT at this point.

What are your sx?
Yoga has good and bad in it for TOS. I did and still do some Yoga poses/stretches but I know which are okay for me and which are not. Yoga actually helped me start to find stretches and remedies that provided relief. The PT work incorporated many Yoga stretches/poses without even knowing that I do Yoga. Again, listen to your body and IT will tell you what IS or IS NOT good for it. For me OPENING the chest was okay...but anything that required shoulder to bear a load was not good...also anything that would increase the compression was not good...so for example eagle pose is a definite no-no for me. Down Dog requires loading the shoulder...a no-no.

My symptoms are:
constant throbbing pain in right shoulder with random stabbing pains
right arm aches and feels like it just doesn't "fit" right
right hand gets cold with elevation or use
numbness & tingling in right pinky & ring finger
stabbing, burning pain in underarm area
tenderness over clavicle and pec area
scalene muscle has feeling of tightness
headaches that start at back of head & over right side of head
feeling that left side of throat is being "slashed"
dizziness when I move my head
loss of dexterity in right hand
burning pain over scapula
swelling in right hand
color changes in right hand


tests that have been done:
MRI of rotator cuff - normal
cervical xrays - normal
EMG - normal (did not do with arm in positions that cause symptoms)
CT - normal (was done with arm down at side)
ultrasound - normal (the tech who did this had no clue what she was doing, she had a book out and even said she didn't understand how to position me)
shoulder xray - normal

I've had 17 sessions of PT since October and have only been able to tolerate very minimal stretching....chin tucks, shoulder shrugs, that sort of thing.

It couldn't hurt, IMHO, to try my favorite....get the foam roller lie on it with your butt on one end and your head on the other. Legs bent, feet on floor. Hold stomach in so lower back is somewhat flat against foam roller. Allow shoulders to drape back around the roundness of the roller opening chest. Try some yogic breathing with abs (not chest). If that helps..you have a start to self remedy.

Your sxs sure sound a lot like mine. I had left rib resection in 2005 and am worse for it. Like you, I had normal nerve conduction studies, relatively normal cervical MRIs, normal xrays. I did have the 3D MRI/MRA study with Dr. Collins, which showed TOS.

I tried yoga at the beginning of this journey. I liked it for the mental aspect, but I couldn't take all the arm forward and above positions. So I just do abdominal breathing -- often on my foam roller.

Good luck.

At this point, I would go to Denver and see two of the three top docs there and get a definitive diagnosis. They see TOS so constantly and so often, that for me, that would stop the merry-go-round, which I was also on, here in So. Cal. And EMG is only worth the skill of the person who does it. Dr. Togut says EMGs aren't even made to test for TOS, the scientific reasons behind that statement are too hard for me to understand but DiMarie has posted it before. So I'd want to be seen, touched and "decided" by one of the top docs.

Going back to your original question... I find it a bit odd that your doctor wants YOU to do research! Can you find a knowledgeable TOS doctor in your area?

And in regard to pulse loss - read this article (a simple, yet not 100% accurate test to check for pulse and blood flow to the arm):

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/ma...70&oref=slogin

In all states I know, there is only one amount for the attorney to take, so if a guy ends up with 3 attorneys, they split it 3 ways according to the judge. If it's 5, split 5 ways - there is not more money taken from the patient / applicant. And the case is not slowed down - the attorney amount can be decided later by the attorney(s) and the judge.

The only down side is if you're one of these hot heads who fires attorneys all of the time, they'll not want you. But almost everyone switches attorneys ONCE - usually for the reason that calls were not returned.

Before I hire an attorney, I watch them at court, I want someone who "does" my kind of injury, and I want someone who everyone seems to know - especially the court people. Court people know who's good. Loads of times they'll slip you a paper of who is good, but don't be a big jerk about it...on the down-low... and this isn't legal advice, but good ol' southern pal advice since he's from TN!