All Categories
If you have headaches, neck pain, neck stiffness, back spasms, muscle pain, back pain, shoulder pain, and pain between the shoulder blades, numbness and tingling, you may have thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). TOS is caused by compression of the neck, upper back, rib cage and the shoulder that squeeze the blood vessels and nerves that pass from the chest and neck through the thoracic tunnel into the arm. TOS is one of the most controversial conditions in medicine. For most patients there thoracic outlet syndrome is overlooked and misdiagnosed leaving them suffering needlessly in chronic pain for months and even years. Then one day, someone says, "Could it be thoracic outlet syndrome?"Over the last 30 years, studies confirm that doctor’s knowledge of the basic anatomy has dipped below a safe and acceptable level. That is why their exams cant determine if you have TOS or one of these similar conditions: - a herniated disc? a bulged disc? a slipped disc?- a pinched nerve in the neck? cervical radiculopathy? a brachial plexus injury? brachial neuritis?- shoulder hyperabduction? a shoulder impingement? a rotator cuff syndrome?- median nerve entrapment? cubital tunnel syndrome? carpal tunnel syndrome? - Raynaud's phenomenon? a Pancoast’s lung tumor? a syringomyelia? - muscular sclerosis? muscular dystrophy?- cervical ribs? an elevated first rib?What if it is a combination of a few of these conditions? Oh no!Confused, doctors order an MRI. You think they are getting down to business but sadly doctors know they can’t diagnose or determine the cause of TOS with an MRI. If you are misdiagnosed, their treatment approach wont work.This book has an entire chapter on how to back-check your doctors diagnosis. There are more than 16 different treatment approaches doctors recommend to treat TOS. Some advocate painkillers, NSAI