Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. What is it?
This type of condition is often characterized by some form of shoulder or arm pain, numbness or weakness. It is caused by some form of compression of the neurovascular structures exiting the neck and entering the shoulder.
It is something that affects women more than men (9:1 !!!) and most commonly affects those people aged 20-60.
The most common form of TOS is neurogenic. This means that there is something compressing nerves that run to your arm. Our job throughout our examination is to find the cause of that compression.
Typically, it is from tight or hypertonic muscles in the area pressing against the nerve. Luckily, we have ways that we can help with that!
As stated before, when we are able to determine the cause of your specific form of TOS, we can than begin to treat it. We offer a variety of soft tissue release techniques in our office to help relieve that tension in the muscles, and thus, relieving the pressure being put on the nerves.
A variety of things can be causing those muscles to become tightened. Chronic poor posture can often leave certain muscle groups susceptible to prolonged contraction and tightness. That is why this condition often affects those who work from a desk, industry workers, and more. It can also heavily affect overhead activities such as swimming, baseball & others.
So, there are a variety of ways that we can diagnose and treat TOS. Not every case will be successful with chiropractic care, but we are an excellent conservative care option to help manage and treat TOS.
