Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, commonly called TOS, can lead to severe consequences if left untreated.

TOS is the compression of nerves and/or blood vessels between your thoracic outlet and collarbone and is named for a group of disorders that occur in that region of your body. Women are more likely to suffer from this condition due to a combination of a peculiar cervical anatomy and external factors. Generally it affects young adults between 20 – 40 years old.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Causes

  • Repetitive Activity: Repetitive motion of the arm and shoulder in activities like: swimming, baseball, golf, etc. can contribute to this disorder.
  • Trauma: Traumatic incidents like a sudden fall or car accident (think: whiplash).
  • Poor Posture: Keeping the head in a forward tilted direction for long periods of time and/or drooping shoulders can also be a triggering factor.
  • Anatomical Defects: Birth defects have also been found to be a part of the problem.
  • Sleep disorders
  • Tumors
  • Stress/Depression

Symptoms

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome symptoms are varied:

  • Weakness or numbness of the hand
  • Weakness in neck and arm
  • Decreased size of hand muscles
  • Pain, Tingling, numbness of the neck, chest or arms
  • Swelling of the hands, fingers or arms
  • Cold hands/fingers due to lack of blood circulation
  • Fatigued arms
  • Blood clot in arteries or veins in the upper part of the body
  • Throbbing lump in the collarbone region

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Treatment

While some drugs/medicines may be helpful for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, such as anticoagulants like Coumadin and Heparin, it is better to start with some natural methods that will not potentially hurt your body further.

Physical therapy and proper Chiropractic Care helps to put your body back into proper alignment so it can heal itself.

The compression of these nerves and arteries/veins in the thoracic region can be a life threatening problem and when your body is not aligned this type of compression can be more likely.  As you age your body changes and without proper care and exercise things can go wrong, quickly.

Talk with Dickson Chiropractic Clinic to learn more about this problem and find out how they can help you be and stay healthy on a daily basis. Visit https://dickson-chiropractic.com today or give us a call at:  615-375-8423.

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