@snowmass You can still continue your PT and add MFR. That will not interfere. MFR is like kneading bread dough, like a massage where the therapist pushes against the barrier (tightness) and just holds that shearing pressure waiting for a release. I get muscular headaches on the back of my head usually one sided from TOS on the side that is tighter. It has taken me a long time to realize that the slight rotation of vertebrae caused by the muscles spasms from TOS is causing that pain when it stretches muscles on one side and they complain. I have had it rotate C1 & C2 and even all the levels including my fused C5/C6. Botox injections are supposed to temporarily paralyze the muscle spasms. I think having cervical disc issues is also adding to the problem as it did for me. Since my cervical C5/C6 fusion, the muscle spasms have calmed down, but the can happen if I sleep wrong with my neck in a bent position or fall asleep siting up. I continue to maintain with stretching and MFR work I can do on my own. You have nothing to loose in trying MFR. You don't need to get a further diagnosis on TOS to try MFR. Just being in pain is enough to warrant physical therapy, and the MFR therapist has to code this along with other modalities that the insurance company accepts. Sometimes they will not just pay for MFR as just a manual therapy. My experience is that overuse of muscles kicks up TOS and causes pain, and stretching out the tight fascia relieves pain and restores better movement. You won't know if it helps you unless you try it. Stress also increases issues with TOS. That is something you can't always change, but I try to not let things bother me. (Easier said than done.) That means I have to step away from relatives who are difficult people. Doctors understand that this is something that exacerbates TOS.

Think of it this way. You have tightness in your neck as if you have a bunch of rubber bands pulling on your neck (muscles), and it can easily get just a bit out of perfect alignment and get stuck like that. MFR loosens those rubber bands and allows the vertebrae to get into better alignment. Because of yard work I was doing recently, a couple of vertebrae were locked in a not so good position and I had numbness on the side of my arm until I worked on it with my stretches and massaging the muscles. The facet joints on both sides clicked as it got realigned and the pain stopped. It took a few days of my working on it to relieve it completely. I feel the tenderness of muscle pain into my scapula, in the SCM muscles that turn my head, and muscles that support the cervical spine as well as aching down my arms. Because I'm on Medicare now, and they limit how much PT a person can have, I have to do more on my own, and see my PT when I can't resolve my own issues. It was better when I could see her more often. My PT advises to avoid surgery for TOS. My hands used to turn blue/purple and get cold. That doesn't happen anymore. It's also better now that I don't work at a stressful desk job on a computer anymore. Some of your arm pain could be coming from your cervical stenosis and it's difficult to tell where most of the pain is coming from or if it comes from multiple areas.

Are you seeking a surgeon for TOS or cervical disks or both? How long have you been in physical therapy?

I was diagnosed with TOS in both my my right and left shoulders ( clavicle area) how is the fire? I had an extra rib that was compressing on one side and restricting blood blood flow and oxygen to my heart and on the other side I had muscle and tissue that was built up and was compressing nerves on that side, which was also restricting flow and oxygen to the heart. When I was advised that it was that local, you know where I live in Tallahassee Florida and he wanted they wanted to do surgery. It was like 10 years ago and I was extremely invasive you know so I didn’t do anything and I just put it off thinking it’s not a big deal.. fast-forward 10-15 years later I begin having symptoms or losing sensation feelings and you know my arms like numbness tingling. I am right handed. The doctor told me that it was worse than my left side and it was my right but they you know he wanted he would do surgery on whichever one was bothering me first and then you know recover from that and then do the other arm and I still if you know it’s invasive and because of other health issues that I have I know is not looking to do surgery. The surgeon who is at a very great the best one you know that we have in our area I’m surgeon. He advised me that a physical therapy would not be beneficial towards me and actually said that it would make things worse because it would be putting pressure onto the nerves and everything that’s already having pressure so was strongly against physical therapy. I know that there’s three types of TOS on the top of my head at this moment, I cannot recall. I have two out of the three and has like came, followed up from my appointments. He didn’t push you know for surgery. He just wanted to let me know that you know the symptoms would get worse that I would not get any muscle or nerve damage nerve back in my hands that I’ve already lost like I won’t get it back and I know I was starting at that point because this is 15 years we know later was dropping things not be not able to fill things like right now I’m having to dictate this through my phone using the voice thing because my right hand it’s just like it’s it shot at it it’s very painful and in etc.. We all decided that that I should get a second opinion at Mayo clinic he actually is the one who said everything up and Mayo had a completely different story and it looks like my everything I’m saying is getting jumbledthat it will continue to get worse. He, you know he understood my hesitant aboI am dropping everything in my right hand losing nerves losing