I have alot of symptoms mentioned here.My problems started back in Dec. 2005 when I started getting this crawling sensation from my neck into my head.I had a spell @ work where I thought I was passing out..got shaky,felt like someone shoved a pole in the back of my neck and was turning it(muscle spasm?) and couldn't breathe....said I was having anxiety attacks.

My job was putting a faceplate on a instrument panel(truck dashboard).I was constantly in an arms out position...pushing this panel onto the IP.
Then I later moved to the paint dept.Now am doing alot of overhead work.Recently diagnosed w/ TOS(right side)...going to PT for about 2 months now.
My question is this...I am having 1st rib mobilization(think that's what it is called).The PT jabs her fingers into my neck/shoulder area then pushes into it and dang it hurts!!!Like burning stabbing pain...My eyes water when she does this.She said it will hurt but it has to be done...anyone else have this done?Also she has started traction(only done once,maybe too early to wig out about?) which doesn't really hurt but I have alot of odd feeling in head afterward...like a day afterward.
We do heat,ultra-sound,hand-bike, neck stretches,ball exercises,band exercises,strated doing bow-flex exercises ends w/ stimulation/heat.

My main complaint is horrible headaches,eye pain,and dizziness.I take tylenol for pain.Should I be on an anti-inflammatory?I have flexirils for muscle aches when needed and they help alot,too....

Thanks for reading sorry if it is rambling...just learning about all this.

Hey, i have been suffering with tos for about a year longer than you. I also came to find it was very much a long and winding road, with regards to getting diagnosis and proper treatment. I must say that your physio is really throwing everything at you - and all at once! I have had 3 round of physio with varying results - one massaged me and used acupuncture, not that beneficial. The second tried to strenghen me - of some use but only for short period of time then exercises became painful. The 3rd (current) is good and is trying to get some movement back in my c & t spine and neck - she is taking it slowly as my back basically hasnt moved properly since 2005! She loosened up a jaw joint which has almost made my headahces vanish (fab!).

Basically everything has become so sensitised and the protective mechanism my body set into place to protect me from pain is making things a hell of a lot worse and she is trying to bring me down slowly from all of that.

Have you tried using heat pads?....i swear by them.....

Yeah I feel like she is getting too aggressive but thought maybe I was being a baby.She does ask me if things are too much and I told her she needed to go slower w/ the rib mobilization and she has...TG!!!That burned and hurt.She has me on my stomach and does these massage techniques from my neck down to my mid back now,too.Which is ok.
I really need help w/ how to work on my posture and it is really bad.Heck I feel worse on the weekends when I'm off work..you would think being away from the job would be better but doesn't seem so.
Do you have a hard time breathing?I feel like any activity causes me to feel winded and often after a meal I feel drowsy and winded,too.
I have migraines and my left ear constantly buzzes,and my right eye is larger than the other one bc I guess my TOS is mostly on my right side as I am right handed...
I do use heat packs and am probably going to buy a heating pad.I also ice it.
Another odd thing is my thoughts get jumbled like I am in a fog....could it be arteries being squeezed and less oxygen to brain??My PT says my TOS is not real bad as some other ppl and I am fixable w/o surgery,she believes.....hope she is right.
Thanks for replying and all the help I get would be very appreciated so any suggestions or replies are welcome...THANK YOU!!!!

[QUOTE=crombie00;539469]Yeah I feel like she is getting too aggressive but thought maybe I was being a baby.She does ask me if things are too much and I told her she needed to go slower w/ the rib mobilization and she has...TG!!!That burned and hurt.She has me on my stomach and does these massage techniques from my neck down to my mid back now,too.Which is ok.
I really need help w/ how to work on my posture and it is really bad.Heck I feel worse on the weekends when I'm off work..you would think being away from the job would be better but doesn't seem so.
Do you have a hard time breathing?I feel like any activity causes me to feel winded and often after a meal I feel drowsy and winded,too.
I have migraines and my left ear constantly buzzes,and my right eye is larger than the other one bc I guess my TOS is mostly on my right side as I am right handed...
I do use heat packs and am probably going to buy a heating pad.I also ice it.
Another odd thing is my thoughts get jumbled like I am in a fog....could it be arteries being squeezed and less oxygen to brain??My PT says my TOS is not real bad as some other ppl and I am fixable w/o surgery,she believes.....hope she is right.
Thanks for replying and all the help I get would be very appreciated so any suggestions or replies are welcome...THANK YOU!!!![

It does seem like she is a little aggressive - does she has experience with tos or other complicated upper limb disorders....i think that good tos physios are hard to come by - took me 4 years to find the right one! She understands that everything in me is now oversensitised and that she needs to tread gently - and that looking at my posture is a must - your physio should be looking at your posture and not just poking around and massaging you!

Well i often find that i am better off moving around (as long as im not doing anything arm intense!) - as a pose to sitting down, as i find often find it very hard to get cosy, even with 20 million cushions and wot not! I think many of the guys on here would possibly say a similar thing too.

I do often get winded easily (maybe from the silliest of things, like a quick jog up the stairs!) I find that sometimes its hard to catch a deep breath, if that makes sense. Due to extra pressures put our lungs from some rib involement perhaps??

My physio had an interesting insight into why my memory is getting so bad and why i am often searching for my words - its all to do with long term pain and how our brains get backed up with pain signals....affects our memory in the long term.....nice!!!


Mirgraines seem to go hand in hand with this condition and again with a good physio, they should be able to do some adjustments to certain joints in your face which may be able to relieve some of these......

ps - electric heat pad is my best friend - have it on low to sleep, or i cant sleep!!

[QUOTE=TraceyW;539601]Never thought about how pain can fog your brain up but it does make sense...Yeah she just tells me to tuck my chin,lower my shoulder, and pull my blades together while I'm doing the band exercises....she has never messed w/ my jaw only my neck,shoulder,back area..
I'm not sure what her specialty is but she does alot of sports injuries and I was referred by the Immediate Care Center that was next door to her business.
The shortness of breath is scary and I have become mildly claustraphobic due to fear of smothering...used to never even think about that stuff before!!It sucks!!
Yeah I too have found sitting to be a no-no esp for long periods...and comfort while doing it is hard to find.
Have you ever used a tennis ball to roll under your shoulder blade...read something about that somewhere....if so does it help any in that area?My clavicle hurts quite a bit at times...not sure what to do about that other than heat...and yes heat does seem to help.I'm going to buy a heating pad and was wondering what is the best?My Mom has a good one that vibrates,as well...not sure what brand it is..I'll have to ask her.
Again thanks so much for all you help...it certainly helps w/ the anxiety and worry about all this!!!You all are wonderful!!!!Glad I found this board!!!

[QUOTE=crombie00;540064]
Before i found this forum i felt very confused about tos and even thought that it may all be in my head - until i heard from others with the same or similar stories and a lot of understanding - even that in itself makes it a little more bearable!

i had a physio who had me lie on my front and lift my shoulders up off the coach and push my shoulder blades together - this used to make my shoulder blade wing out as it was too much of an intensive strengthener - i could tolerate it but didnt know how much good it was actually doing me.....sounds like your physio has a similar approach. Perhaps make some enquiries into a seasoned physio who has experience with tos?

i have just had botox into my scalenes - 2 days ago and the area is a little sore still and symptoms not really changed all that much yet but im looking at waiting a week or two before i see any differences, if any at all! The idea is to relax the muscles that run through the brachial plexus. Who know what will happen!

i hve used a ball for shoulder blade discomfort - it helps temporarily for me - any thing gentle like that is worth a try - remember nothing should ever make you hurt more - no pain, no gain - is not a really saying that works with tos.

i live in the uk so what i buy wouldnt be available in the US - what i have has 3 heat settings and a washable cover - invaluable for me!