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Neurology Community
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury
Thoracic outlet syndrome
by TennVic, Dec 26, 2007 05:56PM
Year 2001 - Stood up very sharply and hit my head on an immovable object. Drove my head down and back very hard. Actually was unconcious for about 25 seconds.
Medical findings:
2nd and 5th cervical disc buldging MRI
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome - Neurologist - EMG
Symptoms:
Numbness and tingling 4 - 5th digits both hands. Worse in right hand extending past the wrist.
Often severe neck and shoulder pain, right side. Med Mepregan
Bad Headaches.
Often severe pain extending down right side of neck to shoulder blade.
Right shoulder pain in bicept tendon area. Has gotten a lot worse in last year.
Sharpe pain in right thumb. Comes and goes quickly
Cannot use right arm raised above head or continued use such as typing or use of tools.
Loss of strength in right arm and hand.
My most recent Dr., a Pain Management Specialist, in reviewing my records noticed the Thoracic Outlet diagnosis and wants to persue with another exam by a Neurologist.
This injury is a Workers Compensation case, and as you can guess I've been treated like .. well you can guess.
1. Does this sound like a worsening condition of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?
2. Can this condition, due to an injury, become irreversible if not treated timely?
I'm really tired of the pain and losing a lot of my life.
Thank you
Medical findings:
2nd and 5th cervical disc buldging MRI
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome - Neurologist - EMG
Symptoms:
Numbness and tingling 4 - 5th digits both hands. Worse in right hand extending past the wrist.
Often severe neck and shoulder pain, right side. Med Mepregan
Bad Headaches.
Often severe pain extending down right side of neck to shoulder blade.
Right shoulder pain in bicept tendon area. Has gotten a lot worse in last year.
Sharpe pain in right thumb. Comes and goes quickly
Cannot use right arm raised above head or continued use such as typing or use of tools.
Loss of strength in right arm and hand.
My most recent Dr., a Pain Management Specialist, in reviewing my records noticed the Thoracic Outlet diagnosis and wants to persue with another exam by a Neurologist.
This injury is a Workers Compensation case, and as you can guess I've been treated like .. well you can guess.
1. Does this sound like a worsening condition of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?
2. Can this condition, due to an injury, become irreversible if not treated timely?
I'm really tired of the pain and losing a lot of my life.
Thank you
How are you feeling now? Did your work involve doing repetitive movements of any joint, especially upper limbs?
When where you diagnosed as having Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) and on what basis where you diagnosed?
The diagnosis is based on the Selmonosky Triad during physical examination. This consists of Elevation of the hands, supraclavicular tenderness, weakening of the 4th and 5th fingers.
Your MRI was reported as having disc bulging of Cervical 2nd to 5th vertebrae. This can also be the cause of your symptoms.
Before diagnosing Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), cervical vertebrae pathology needs to be ruled, which in your case is quite evident that it might be cervical vertebrae pathology causing the symptoms.
I would recommend you to see another neurologist and an orthopaedician to re-evaluate and re-diagnose your case.
What treatment modalities have the doctors planned after diagnosing you of having TOS?
Keep me informed about your disease progression and about your discussion with doctors.
Bye.
Regardless if you have TOS, or something else. I recommend you see a Licensed Massage Practitioner. They work to manipulate underlying soft tissue (i.e., muscles, tendons, etc.) and help the body return back to a neutral position, reducing unnecessary stress on joints and nerves. My LMP has treated many clients with TOS successfully. There is hope and you can get your life back.
I have endured and the symptoms have gotten worse since the accident. No real repetative movement in my, former, occupation. A Neuro gave me the TOS after the EMG, accupuncture needle thing, and a physical exam.
I am trying to get approval to see another Neuro, after nearly 6 years since the last one. I have been given physical therapy several times since '01 and a wheel barrow of drugs. Being this was an on the job accident, and I was a Federal Employee, I fall under the "you get screwed" act of Workers Compensation Act.
Ley5792
Any manipulation by a therapist or deep tissue massage causes me extreme pain followed by acute apathy because of increased drug use for pain. I'm going to wait for this new Neuro exam before I venture there again.
My biggest Question is:
Has the time lapse since the injury going to cause me more problems?
Can TOS REALLY be injury induced?????
Thanks for the write backs and I'll keep my password etc.
How are you feeling? What is your name?
The 3 major causes of TOS are anatomic, trauma/repetitive activities, and neurovascular entrapment at the costo-clavicular space.
Anatomic
Scalene triangle: Anterior scalene muscle frontally, middle scalene muscle posteriorly, and the upper border of the first rib inferiorly account for most cases of neurologic and arterial TOS.
Cervical ribs and congenital fibro muscular bands are also causes for TOS.
Trauma or repetitive activities
Motor vehicle accident hyperextension injury is one of the causes.
Neurovascular entrapment: This occurs in the costo-clavicular space between the first rib and the head of the clavicle.
It is indeed sorry to say that as the time elapses more, more would be fibrosis and more would be symptoms.
Keep me informed.
Bye.
My name is Mike B, I'm 59 years old and up to 6 years ago a very physically fit person. I retired from my job last Jan because I was relagated to a desk job using a computer 8 hours a day which only made my condition worse. Funny, nobody believed that!!!!!
As I stated the injury was a very sever whip back of my head and neck from an obstruction when I was standing up. I was moving from a crouched position upward at a fast rate.
My continuing symptoms are:
neck cramps, followed by headaches
right trapazoid muscle cramps, quite sharpe at times.
both hands - numbness in 4th - 5th didgets,
pain in right thumb and right arm.
The symptoms that have gotten worse over the last 6 years:
Right shoulder pain into the bicep.
Shooting pain in right thumb.
Right arm going numb.
Lose of mobility of right arm.
I'm hitting a wall here and can't seem to get any Medical help or relief except for pain medication.
I appreciate any advice!
Thank you
Have you seen any doctor for your symptoms? What are the imagings studies being done?
I want you to take treatment as early as possible as there are other conditions which can rise due to thoracic outlet.
It is believed that a nerve that has some degrees of compression in the neck is more sensitive to nerve compression problems at other points along its course, such as at the elbow or the wrist.
Thus, patients with TOS are more susceptible to developing Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, and vice versa.
This phenomenon has been termed the double crush syndrome.
Do you have arthritis, diabetes, and alcoholism or thyroid