Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Treatment - Specialised Myofascial Release Therapy in Brighton
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) refers to a group of conditions in which the blood vessels or nerves in the space between neck and shoulder become compressed.
This compression can cause pain in the shoulder and neck and well as pain and numbness radiating down the arm and or into the hand and fingers.
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Numbness or tingling in your fingers
- Loss of strength in the arm or grip
- Arm pain/altered feelings, numbness or tingling
Thoracic outlet syndrome shares very similar symptomatology with some other conditions (like carpal tunnel syndrome or a cervical bulging disc);
it also shares very similar symptoms with very common Tigger Point referred pain patterns in a variety of muscles (like some rotator cuff muscles, pectorals or scalens).
For this reason this condition is often misdiagnosed.
Common Causes of TOS
Several factors can contribute to the development of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
- Repetitive arm and shoulder movements
- Direct trauma or sports injuries
- Poor postural patterns. This is the most common TOS cause we encounter in clinic. Very common with the very recognisable and well known postural pattern characterised by forward shoulder position, lack of thoracic extension, forward head position. This postural pattern closes the space between the neck muscles and the shoulder commonly causing nerve compression as a result.
In most cases, there is more than one active entrapment site along the nerve’s path. The myofascial therapist’s job is to release all of these key locations in order to alleviate the symptoms.
The main entrapment places are:
- the neck muscles (middle and anterior scalens)
- the area between the collar bone and the ribs (due to for example the common postural pattern we described above, characterised by dropped shoulder, forward head position)
- under the pectoralis minor muscle (forward shoulder, medially rotated shoulder, tight pec minor)
Myofascial Release as an effective treatment method for TOS
Myofascial release therapy stands out as an optimal treatment approach for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome for several key reasons:
1. Addresses Root Causes
Myofascial release therapy addresses the underlying fascial restrictions that contribute to the postural pattern that ultimately results in nerve and blood vessel compression.
Once the structures have been decompressed through myofascial release therapy we can move onto corrective functional training; again following the myofascial chains, to this time strengthen and retrain the postural pattern so symptoms don’t re-occur.
2. Non-Invasive Approach
Myofascial Release is non-invasive and can more often then not prevent the need for surgery.
This approach carries minimal risks while providing significant benefits not only to address the issue at hand but also improving the client’s quality of life and feeling of wellbeing.
3. Whole body treatment approach
Myofascial release is built over a whole body approach to treatment, where the therapist assesses the whole body in order to find the origin cause for the presentation.
When treating TOS the therapy doesn’t just focus on the thoracic outlet area – it addresses the entire fascial system because the issue happening at the thoracic outlet area is ultimately a result of combined problems in other structures.
This whole-body approach is crucial because TOS often involves complex patterns of tension-compression through different myofascial chains.
4. Long term benefits and improvement of general wellbeing
Myofascial release causes a direct impact over the nervous system, due to the deeply interconnected nature of these two systems.
This means that not only the issue at hand gets results out of this type of treatment but the person’s general wellbeing improves as a result.
All these result in Myofascial therapy being one of the most effective treatment approaches for thoracic outlet syndrome.
What happens in a session with us?
During myofascial release sessions for TOS, after a general initial assessment at INSIDE we usually focus on:
- Increasing the space between the neck muscles and the shoulder.
- Assessing and releasing other structures with similar symptomatology.
- Releasing other structures in the arm and forearm that can compress the nerve on its way to the hand.
- Assessing and releasing the arm lines, the deep front line and lateral lines.
- Releasing restrictions in the scalenes and other neck muscles.
- Addressing fascial tension in the chest and neck and shoulder area.
- Improving thoracic extension and rib cage mobility.
- Breathing training. We teach diaphragmatic breathing as a fundamental element in upper back and neck/head posture health as well as overall general health.
Most common misdiagnosed presentations
Bulging disc
Trigger Point referred pain pattern of:
- Pectoralis Minor: Pec minor refers pain over the front of the chest primarily to the front of the shoulder and sometimes down the medial side of the arm into the fingers.
Trigger Points in this muscle are likely to cause entrapment or compression of the brachial plexus and the axillary artery.
Subscapularis:
Being one of the rotator cuff muscles, this muscle commonly develops trigger points which can often refer pain into the wrist and mimic carpal tunnel syndrome or TOS symptoms. In our clinic we find this muscle to be very often misdiagnosis for both these two conditions.
Scalens: Scalene muscle trigger points are often linked with thoracic outlet entrapment. Among the most demanding for identification and treatment but also among the most important myofascial trigger points.
At INSIDE, we specialise in treating Thoracic Outlet Syndrome using advanced myofascial release techniques.
Treatment Details
Treatment sessions are 60 minutes long, allowing time for thorough assessment and effective treatment.
Located in Brighton, we offer flexible appointment times to accommodate your schedule. Morning and evening appointments are available.
About the author
Rocio Santiago
MA in Nursing, Dip. Soft Tissue Therapy
Ro initially began her career as a nurse. Following this and after a difficult time in her life that resulted in a career change, Ro went on to train at one of the leading soft tissue therapy schools in Europe, completing a 3 year degree level course and specialising in effective soft tissue manipulation for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.
The treatment method Ro uses consists of a combined approach using different specialised techniques, myofascial release and trigger point work among others, with the intention and focus on providing effective results in the least possible amount of time.
Combining her training, science background and life experience, her treatment method is based in science and built using a whole body approach, where mind and body are addressed as one.
Ro has been seeing clients as a soft tissue therapist for 8 years, successfully treating a wide range of conditions.