Connect
← Return to Surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome
Discussion
Surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome
Bones, Joints & Muscles | Last Active: Jun 16 4:14pm | Replies (5)Comment receiving replies
It definitely makes very difficult to figure out or treat when cervical and tos issues are present together.
For cervical, saw several orthopedic surgeons and none recommended surgery so far. Last person said it’s hard to tell if surgery will help unless tried and recommended pain mgmt doctor.
As for tos, saw three doctors so far, two being for consultation.
So I am still hesitant about any surgery but my recent changes in getting more pressure issues in the head which is greatly affecting my daily, I am getting desperate.
However I just had shoulder Botox done to alleviate tension headaches at neurologist office which I regret a bit since it could have been from tos. So I have to wait till Aug to do another one for tos to avoid anti body development. I suppose I could do scalene block injection instead which is more short lived in the meantime but I have to discuss with doctor about it. But at the same time I am really getting tired of injections and lidocaine effects ( had done a few trigger point injections for knots on shoulder and back) so wanted to stick to PT and other modalities.
I have tried 6+ months of pt for pinched nerve/tos(during diagnostic period) with not much success then my neck pain became worse so now I am concentrating on the neck. But again the pressured head has become debilitating so I am torn.
Stress definitely plays. Just tried to go back to work part time and just few hours of computer staring gave me so much neck tightness and pain.
Life is upside down and try to tell myself it’s a long battle but with constantly changing symptoms or priorities of pain and no treatment plan supported by knowledgeable doctor it’s a challenge to say the least and how long is this going to continue. I know there are lots of others with much worse illnesses but can’t help to lose hope at times. But I tell myself I can only try as long as I can and accept and love my new self. I do talk to a therapist some times.
Btw do/did you have difficulty lifting or holding a gallon of milk ?
My lung surgery was 30 years ago and most doctors said my issues probably has nothing to do with it but it’s funny how non doctors mostly say it probably plays a role still since body parts are connected which I think makes sense.
Replies to "It definitely makes very difficult to figure out or treat when cervical and tos issues are..."
Connect
@snowmass Yes, I can lift a gallon of milk and pour out of a jug. I can also lift the 28 lb saddle for my horse up to chest high, but I wouldn't be able to hold it here very long at all. I did carry 2 gallons of fly spray (1 in each hand) from the store out to the car and that was exhausting me, but it was after a day of riding the horse for an hour, and the worst thing I did that day was use manual hedge clippers (scissor like) and bend over and short clip grass to get around a chained entry at the horse trail to avoid tick exposure from long grass. I clipped a path 4 feet wide and 2 horse lengths long, and I paid for that for days. It caused the recent spasms that rotated my cervical spine. I have fairly good strength, but not for repetitive tasks. I can do lifting if it is just for a short time, otherwise it makes TOS worse with spasms. When I paint (I'm an artist), I need to hold up my own arm and support the weight while controlling the movement. That can be tiring too after doing it for a few hours.
If I try to do pushups, I am in worse pain from TOS. The more I bend my neck forward and look down at a keyboard with my arms forward typing, the more my neck hurts and aggravates TOS. I never learned to type without looking. What helps me feel better and builds core strength that supports my spine is riding my horse with good posture.
Where is your incision scar from lung surgery? What do your cervical MRI reports say about the stenosis or nerve root compression and is it rated as moderate, severe, etc? Do you have spinal cord compression?
TOS and cervical spine issues cause overlapping symptoms and can even affect the same nerves in different places. That is going to make it hard to determine if both are causing your symptoms or if one issue is causing more of it. The neck spine issues will cause spams and the TOS will also aggravate that as it is all connected by muscles. That's why I think MFR would benefit you, because you may be able to improve your situation and be able to tell where the symptoms are coming from, and you'd have the feedback from the therapist and be able to discuss it. Have you have nerve conduction studies and EMG testing with a neurologist?
Doctors study dead tissue and cadavers, so they can forget what happens with living fascia and not think about it. That is why they may not understand MFR, and also because they may not have experienced it themselves, and don't think about scar tissue in the fascia itself. You certainly don't want to go through unnecessary surgery that could make you worse off.