Mark Gerard's Therapeutic Massage

We’ve all woken up with that “pins and needles” numbness in our hand or arm. To relieve it, all we have to do is roll off of our arm and soon enough the blood flow and nerve receptivity return.

But for some of my clients, the numbness in their arms progresses to pain, and can even affect the neck and shoulder. For them, it’s much more than a case of “sleeping wrong.” Often, they’re suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome.

It’s challenging for the medical establishment to diagnose this syndrome. Most often, it’s confused with carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff syndrome, and bursitis. But thoracic outlet syndrome is a condition with its own unique set of body issues.

Think of the thoracic outlet this way: It’s a passage under your collar bone, between your armpit and the base of your neck, and it’s a major throughway for arteries (like the subclavian) and nerves (like the median and ulnar) that send blood and electrical impulses down your arm. That passage might become too small over time, for lots of reasons. Poor, “head-down” posture – typical among today’s cubicle dwellers and computer users – might close up the area. Well-intentioned weight training might enlarge the pectorals or the scalene, or neck, muscles, putting pressure on the arteries and nerves. Trauma, fractures, tightness of the scalene and pectorals, posture change due to pregnancy, scar tissue on the scalene, even the frequent weight of a heavy bag’s strap on your shoulder … these can also contribute.

Your occupation might also make your pectorals or scalene muscles tense, especially if it involved the repetition of motion. Cashiers, assembly line workers, seamstresses, electricians, plasterers, and painters all have potential to develop poor posture, and all strain the same thoracic muscle group over and over. At the end of each day, the tense tissue may compress those key arteries and nerves.

The result can be that “slept wrong” numbness, coldness, pain, and a sometimes dangerously reduced blood flow in the neck, shoulder, and arm, leading to pain, numbness, and even discoloration. Long-term effects include an increasing weakness of the forearm and hand.

How massage can help?

By using neuromuscular massage to target the muscles in the front of the neck, we can eliminate the trigger points that set off the off the pain. Deep tissue massage of the thoracic area and adjacent areas (shoulder, neck, upper back, trapezius, pectorals, subclavius, rhomboids) is also helpful. And when we combine these with muscle energy techniques, we should be on our way out of Thoracic Park! Remember that the ultimate goal – always! – is to relax the muscles for optimal functioning.

Of course, we also want to treat one of the major causes of the syndrome, so a treatment regimen for posture issues may also be in order. How do you stand? How do you walk? What is your home and office computer setup? No matter which approach we use during your session, a home program of stretching and exercise helps to completely resolve thoracic outlet syndrome.

You know, I called this month’s newsletter “Exploring Thoracic Park” to put a smile on your face. I hope I succeeded. But thoracic outlet syndrome is a serious condition with serious consequences if it’s left untreated. Certainly, traditional medicine has its place in treating it, and you should consult your doctor if you feel you need to. But I’m always delighted to talk with my clients about what their bodies are telling them. And if you’re feeling symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, a few sessions can often relieve them.

Ask me about it during your next appointment!