Hi all,

I haven't been on here for awhile. For some reason, when braintalk was gone for awhile, and then came back, my user name was flowerlayd i/o flowerlady! Weird....

Anyway, I have TOS in both arms, and most recently had a scalene block. I did get some relief for a short time, and botox was recommended. However, it is $700 for both sides and my insurance won't cover it. I had quit my job in January but now need to find another one to pay for the botox. Has anyone had good results with botox?

The other thing, I have these little trigger points in my biceps that get really hard and painful. Yesterday I started working on them to get them to losen up-I used (I know this is going to sound strange...) the remote control from the tv and pressed as hard as I could. When I pressed on the area, My hand got really tingly (well, it's always tingly but this was like if you hit your funny bone). Today it's still really bad and I cannot use my left hand to grasp anything! Does anyone have those trigger points or whatever they are called, and do you think I did permanent damage? The numbness is worse from the middle finger to the thumb and back of the hand. It feels like someone numbed it with anesthetic or something.

I also have severe pains in my elbows, shoulders and forearms. I take Neurontin, noritryptiline, muscle relaxants, and Tramadol. It hurts to type this but I'm at my wit's end and need some help and support! I have been to a Dr in Seattle (Dr. George Thomas) but I don't want to do the surgery because of all the stories I have heard.

I welcome any and all comments! Thanks!

Hi flower- hope you don't mind me shortening your name??

I just made a thread last nite with lots of links for triggerpoints and treatments. It might be halfway down the page now.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=5020

Those links also tell the best ways to use the pressure to release the Trps.
I'm wondering it you might have irritated it more that releasing it??


This isn't the old braintalk - it's a new website - it just uses the same vbulletin software so it looks the same.

I you can PM kimmydawn {admin} and ask about getting your user name spelling changed , or delete this account and re sign up with the corrected spelling. {if you want to}

I did some very aggressive TrP work on my forearms last yr and they felt very odd and sore for about 2 weeks- but I didn't have any nerve sx increase from it.

I made another anatomy thread that might be of help for you too.
you could track down the area and see where those nerves are at.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=5018

the middle finger & thumb I think are median nerve related.

Thanks, Jo.

Today my hand/arm is less tingly, but still bad. I am in SOOO much pain! I think partly our weather changed-it only got up to 45 today, and was very, very cold last night. I don't do well in cold weather.

Lately, I've been wondering about my diagnosis-could it be something else? My regular Dr is as clueless as they come-she knows NOTHING about TOS, and I self-referred myself to Dr. Thomas who specializes in TOS. But, he's semi-retired, is in Seattle (a long drive) and he recommended surgery, but botox injections first. I really need a good MD, because I have a lot of other health issues, and it would be nice to have someone who had a clue about my condition.

I sympathize with you about drs, and the often found lack of knowledge about TOS or any soft tissue or certain repetitive strain injuries.

it's almost like they are thinking - "if it doesn't show up easily on some kind of test - i don't want to investigate or learn about it"

I guess all you can do is keep searching for a good one- I wish I had someone encourage me to see more -as in better- drs for my comp claim- to get a better end result with that part of the mess.

I did find out ,after being in PT for awhile, that the PT places {busy ones} are a good resource for finding Drs that are familiar with specific conditions - and they are usually happy to help with suggestions of drs to see.
They know who refers for what conditions, ect.
So if you have some PT places near you, stop in and chat them up and see what you can find out there.

Botulinum toxin A for myofascial trigger point injection: A qualitative systematic review.Ho KY, Tan KH.

Pain Management Services, Department of Anaesthesia and Surgical Intensive Care, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore 169608, Singapore.

Botulinum toxin injection is used to treat various pain conditions including muscle spasticity, dystonia, headache and myofascial pain. Results are conflicting regarding the use of Botulinum toxin for trigger point injection in terms of improvement in pain. The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic review to assess the evidence for efficacy of Botulinum toxin A (BTA) compared with placebo for myofascial trigger point injection. Electronic databases on Medline, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CINAHL were queried using key words such as "botulinum toxin", "myofascial pain", "trigger point", "chronic pain" and "musculoskeletal pain". Relevant published randomized controlled trials that described the use of BTA as injection therapy for trigger points were considered for inclusion. The five-item 0-16 point Oxford Pain Validity Scale (OPVS) was used as a selection criteria for suitable clinical trials. Trials were also assessed based on quality using the Oxford Rating Scale. Data extracted from qualified trials included outcome measures such as pain intensity and pain pressure threshold. All studies were ranked according to the OPVS and the authors' conclusions were compared. Five clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. One trial concluded that BTA was effective, and four concluded that it was not effective for reducing pain arising from trigger points. OPVS scores ranged from 8 to 14 with the negative studies corresponding with higher validity scores. The current evidence does not support the use of BTA injection in trigger points for myofascial pain. The data is limited and clinically heterogeneous.

PMID: 17071119 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]