Disorders: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, hands – even headache may be due to a treatable disorder called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS).
This is a general medical term that refers to entrapments and pinched nerves occurring in the neck and shoulder region, but outside of the spine. The most common features of this disorder are pain and numbness in the ring and little finger and the experience of increased pain and numbness, even weakness when working with your arms lifted or overhead.
Sure, neck, shoulder, arm and hand pain can be due to the spine, but about half the time the spine is normal and the real problem is in the nerves of the “brachial plexus” that travel through the thoracic outlet along with the arteries and veins. In the past, there has been no good way to diagnose TOS. Now, MR neurography has made the diagnosis of TOS reliable and accurate. Don’t get a spine surgery you may not need if your problem might be due to TOS. New treatments for TOS are highly safe and effective so a neurography scan may be your ticket to pain relief.
You can learn more about thoracic outlet syndrome at our sister site, NerveMed.com. At Nervemed you will find a complete discussion of thoracic outlet syndrome, including a complete range of treatments as well as background information on the condition. Click here to visit the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome section at NerveMed now.
Click below to download "Mr Neurography and Brachial Plexus Neurolysis in the Management of Thoracic Outlet Syndromes" by Aaron G. Filler, MD, PhD (originally published in Advances in Vascular Surgery, 2002). Please share this document with your primary care physician to learn more about TOS and how it may be affecting you. Click here to download the document in PDF format.
