Is there a name for the chi-gong exercise? How about a description?

Thanks.

Here is my list so far. These have helped me:

-- elevating my symptomatic arm (left side) in order to open up the space between the collar bone and first rib

-- not letting my arms swing when I walk. centripetal force pulls the shoulder and therefore collar bone down. I make light fists and rest them on the top of my pockets, transferring the weight of the arms into the legs.

-- daily walking for its numerous benefits (cardio, energy, mental lift, sunshine, fresh air, etc.)

-- fixing my posture during the day

-- doing brugger relief position throughout the day

-- following the Egoscue Pain Free exercises

-- learning more about posture with "Posture: Get It Straight" DVD

-- learning more about anatomy especially re: the shoulder, scapulas, traps, necks, etc.

-- seeing a chiro who also knows myofascial release and first rib adjustment

-- meditation specifically aimed at noting specific tensions and releasing them on exhalation

-- stretches, but I waited til I made some progress, got the first mobilized by the chiro and learned to do it myself with a strap. stretching for TOS is tricky.

-- putting a cold pack above the collar bone for 15 mins on, 15 mins off and then 15 mins back on. reduces inflammation and has a mild, positive effect for me. nice to do after any postural exercises, stretches or rib mobilization to counter inflammation those might cause.

-- deep reading of this board

-- budgeting time every day to work on the above

-- listening to my body and making adjustments as soon as I get a "signal" that something is wrong. I posted about this recently.


Things that have resolved or improved substantially:

-- no more numb and/or cold forearm

-- pain in the inner forearm by elbow is less frequent and less severe

-- pain in the shoulder is absent most days and very minor others. same with pec minor

-- no more chest pains and sternal squeezing (I had strong vascular problems--my circulation would "back up")

-- much improved sleep; don't wake up with symptoms as often

-- can work more hours as a result


Things that I'm still struggling with:

-- lightheadedness aka dizziness

-- chronic neck tension (improved but still bad)

-- my chiro says I still have a skull+neck misalignment which is the cause of the above

-- I drop into "neck forward / shoulders forward" posture all the time. I correct it, but the correction does not (yet) naturally hold.


Things that didn't help me:

-- non-specific meditation

-- moving qigong / chi kung. that just aggravated my condition with all the arm movements. I hope to return to it when I'm better.

-- resting. at least until I found that I needed to elevate my shoulder girdle, resting was a crap shoot as to whether I would feel better or worse.

-- emergency room. they had no clue.

-- cardiologist. wrong type of doctor. and he wasn't clueful enough to refer me to a vascular specialist.

-- supplements. based on studies I'm sure they're good for us long term, and if you have a very specific problem, this could be a key. but no supplement I took had a noticeable impact.

-- deep tissue massage


Useful ideas I didn't list as helpful, because I haven't tried them at all or enough to comment:

-- sternal positional swiss ball stretch (I'm about to start this now that I've opened up some from brugger.)

-- Edgelow protocol (I got this, but have barely gotten into it.)

-- trigger point therapy by a pro or self administered (also looking into this)

-- osteopathic manipulation

-- active release technique (I'm seriously thinking of doing this for my neck)

-- Feldenkrais, Alexander, etc.

-- acupuncture


I hope that helps someone!

Symptoms and solutions vary between TOS sufferers so don't mistake my list for an authoritative one. You'll have to find the combo you need.

One observation is that there are so many things to try that it takes awhile just to get to them all, which is cause for hope because there are more things yet to try!

If you don't know what something above means, search for it on this forum, google and youtube, and you'll get some nice reading material (and possibly viewing as well). :-)

good point about the arm swinging, i notice it too..its subtle, but definitely an aggravation

or any reaching for that matter, the arm swinging is easy to forget about tho bc generally youre feeling good so you swing your arms then bam

Thanks for the comprehensive list of what has and hasn't worked for you! I do a lot of these things but it's always good to have a comprehensive reminder.

The DVD I was working from was Tai chi for arthritis by Dr. Paul Lam. My local library has it. I bet any DVD that gears the movements toward arthritis sufferers would be just as good.
Good Luck!

I've said it before and I'll scream it again:
ACUPUNCTURE!!!
I have been able to make big improvements since I started a year and a half ago.
I can raise my arm over my head. I can exercise doing forward and backward arm circles. I can do cheat push-up (I don't put my hands flat on the floor because my hands don't have that range of motion yet... I do them with fists.) Being able to get a range o fmotion has helped me develop the muscles and do the PT I wasn't able to do when I was super inflamed. Acupuncture minimizes inflammation

Also, I have to say changing to a different bra style helped me too. Before I didn't have enough support and the girls were pulling me forward. Now that they are hoisted up, I don't turtle head as much or get upper chest muscle soreness.

@thursday How often do you go for acupuncture and how long are the sessions? Did you need to relay and special instructions or requests to the practitioner, or just describe your symptoms and lay back?

You just describe your symptoms and then they needle you in places that are not the places you are having trouble with.
My practitioner mostly works on my legs as part of the distal points approach.

Please see my big post to get a bigger picture and ask me more questions! I'm just so happy it made my life better, I wish it on everyone! http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread119303.html

Since my pain is mainly in my elbows and hands, i use Tiger Balm to relieve the pain. Also hot showers and a an acupuncture TDP lamp helps