What is Thoracic Output Syndrome?

Question: I have had pain and weakness in my right arm and shoulder for about 6 weeks. I went to the dr. when i raised my arm and it just dropped. I'm on medical leave and started pt yesterday. He said it could be brusitis, arthritis and/ or Thoracic output syndrome. What is this exactly. Will it go away? They say I will get better, but when?

Answers:
I've had surgery on both sides for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Then after a serious injury at work, I had to have a transfer of the ulner nerve at the elbow and carpel tunnel surgery on both sides. It still hurts.
Thoracic OS is a compression of the nerves as they exit the cervical and or thoracic sections of the spinal cord. Usually the compression is caused by pressure from the first rib and can be caused from compression from other bones in the shoulder. The pressure on the nerve causes pain anywhere from your upper back/shoulder area as well as neck and can radiate accross the top of the shoulder to the front of the upper chest, then radiate down your arm causing numbness, tingling, and pain. It can also cause problems at the elbow and wrist/hand. For example, mine cause a lot of pain and sensitivity when I placed my elbows on table or on desk, and woke me up at night when it went numb by bending elbow. I had all the therapies, but opted to see a Thoracic surgeon instead. Nerve conduction tests and others like raising your arms with numbness, tiredness are ued to confirm it. If you do it, opt for the incision point under your armpit, My surgeon ws older, and left 12" half moon scars parallel to both sides of spine. Now the large scars cause pain, and second surgeon says my main problem is from nerve exiting the upper front of shoulder. Google it, you can find medical sites with MRI pictures of the nerves and explanations.

Other Answers:
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) consists of a group of distinct disorders that affect the nerves in the brachial plexus (nerves that pass into the arms from the neck) and various nerves and blood vessels between the base of the neck and axilla (armpit). For the most part, these disorders have very little in common except the site of occurrence. The disorders are complex, somewhat confusing, and poorly defined, each with various signs and symptoms of the upper limb.

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