Fix Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Is Causing Your Arm Pain or Tingling

When we think about arm pain, we tend to think of causes like disc bulges, referral from spinal joints or even carpal tunnel syndrome. Thoracic outlet syndrome is often overlooked. So here's how to tell if you have thoracic outlet syndrome and how to fix it. Thoracic outlet syndrome can give you pain or pins and needles down your arm, but it can also include other symptoms like chest pain, pain above your collar bone, and even headaches. So if you get any of those extra symptoms, that's one sign that you might have this condition. You can also do this test: This is the best test for thoracic outlet syndrome. Stick your arm out to one side with your elbow straight and extend your wrist. If that aggravates the symptoms down your arm, and then you lean your neck away from your arm with your wrist still extended, and that aggravates the symptoms, and then you lean towards your arm and it feels better, that increases the chances that you have thoracic outlet syndrome. Now, most people respond quite well to exercises. In thoracic outlet syndrome, the nerves going down your arm can be compressed in three main sites: between scalene muscles and the first rib, between the collar bone and the first rib, and underneath the pec minor. So our exercises aim to address all of these. EXERCISE 1. First up, put your hands each side of a doorway at arm's distance, just at arm or below shoulder height. And slowly lower yourself forward. Hold the stretch for a few seconds at the bottom and then repeat that 10 times slowly, once a day. But only if it doesn't hurt to do. This stretch loosens the pec minor muscles to take pressure off any nerves that pass underneath the muscle, but it stretches them eccentrically, using the muscles as they're stretched, so it's better than a simple static stretch. EXERCISE 2. Next, sit on a chair, hold underneath the chair to depress your shoulder, lean away from the arm, and then just lift your chin slightly so that you can feel a slight stretch at the front of your neck. Hold this stretch for a few seconds and then repeat that 10 times slowly, once a day. This exercise loosens the scalene muscles, again with a moving active stretch rather than a basic static stretch. If it reproduces any of your symptoms, stop and skip to the next exercise. EXERCISE 3. For exercise three, put the foot of the involved side forward on the ground, level with your other hand. Then reach and look towards the roof, slightly behind you. If that feels easy, you can add a bit of gentle wrist extension at the end of the stretch, but only if it doesn't reproduce your arm symptoms. This exercise strengthens muscles that support a better posture for thoracic outlet syndrome. It acts like a little nerve glide to help release the nerves and it can stretch the scalenes too, if you do it on both sides. EXERCISE 4. Lastly, lie face up with both arms at 90 degrees at the shoulder and elbow. Then, keeping your arms and elbows back, lower your elbows as far as you can comfortably go. Repeat this slowly for 30 seconds or so, going up and down. This exercise is like a wall angel exercise, but it focuses on low arm movement to help the pec minor and that helps posture that's bad for thoracic outlet syndrome. Poor posture is a major cause of thoracic outlet syndrome. Now I have videos on posture and how to improve that, so I'll leave some links in the description box below. And sleeping with your arm up at like a compromising position can compress nerves that go down your arm, so I have a video on how to sleep well, the best positions to sleep in, so I'll leave a link in the description box for that too. Now by far the most common form of thoracic outlet syndrome involves the nerves being compressed. But blood vessels run beside those nerves and they can be compressed too. And that will give you symptoms like cold or pale hands. So if you have any of those symptoms, or you just not responding, make sure you go and see your doctor. Anyway, I hope you like the video. If you did, please consider liking and subscribing because it always helps. And let me know how you go in the comment section below. OK? Cheers.