Very recently i started having TOS-like symptoms. I'm still fairly young, 21, and have never had any previous injuries or nerve related pain. I havent been to a doctor but i fit the profile of a TOS sufferer.. rounded shoulders, forward head posture, tight pec minor/scalenes. My hand goes numb/weak whenever i start using the mouse. while applying pressure to my pec minor i am able to replicate the numb feeling in my hand. ive tried sitting in a couple different positions and putting the mouse at different heights but it doesnt seem to be helping.


so my question is how do i deal with this? do i keep experimenting with mouse positions/heights or do i avoid computer use and work on my trigger points?

Hello,
For starters the ergonomic stuff is good, but next is fixing the postures.
If it keeps getting worse I would really cut back on computer time or any repetitive /forward uses until symptoms decrease.

If you ever had any accidents, falls, hits or sports injuries , a good chiropractor might by a quicker way to get started back to best postures.

Many of us have used a rolled up large towel or foam roll/ roller ( online or at PT places usually).

Oh just found this -
the lowest photo is what the PT teacher told me that nearly everyone should be doing - to maintain & repair upper body postures -
http://simplemom.net/5-ways-to-fix-mom-posture/

If you have pain increases then do go back to a roller up towel or even flat floor or bed, use those until you can be comfortable moving up to the next level.

A stability/swiss ball will work also if you have one.
some stick figure sketches -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/album.php?albumid=422

Trigger point info - sticky thread-
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread125577.html

I cope by having an arm rest that I pivot my elbow on as I use the mouse. Seems to help. Of course, this can irritate the elbow, so I have three towels on the arm rest.

You could also try switching the mouse to the other side, if you're still good on that side. Although if you don't follow Jo*mar's tips you could just end up with the same problems on that side after some time.

be very careful! if you are in the early stages, you have a lot going for you. once you get too far, is very hard to climb out.

stop using this mouse until you find a solution. quit your job if needed. i wish i would have stopped day 1, i may not have got so buried.

anyways, can you do voice recognition / dragon software?
get a different non-mouse intensive job?

you are in a good place, choose your next move wisely. DO NOT IGNORE YOUR BODY OR PAIN.

Try moving your mouse down lower. Maybe a keyboard tray like this:

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...hPDLCXxLI5eGJg

This really is the hard truth... I wish doctors & PTs would be very very clear to us on this....

BUT...
After my severe bi lateral "RSI wrist strains" in 1999, a top Portland ortho did suggest that I might have problems later on if I returned to the same work..and one other dr suggested the same thing..

But since I did heal after 2 months off work & 8 months of "light duty".. I did request to go back to my previous assembly job ( more money, more interesting & missed my coworkers) plus the job they had moved me to was very limited and boring.
I lasted about 3 years til TOS hit me full blast ,but had bouts with shoulder/neck strains" each of those years.

So for me it was wrist/hands RSI, then shoulder/neck strains, then it all combined - hands/arms/neck/shoulders/elbows/upperback, I didn't know anything about TOS back then..no drs even mentioned it.

And don't cover up the pain by popping OTC pain pills (Advil, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Aleve etc) just to get by and keep working.
That is a bad idea, been there done that..messed my tummy/gut up too.

I agree with others... don't ignore the pain...

Seems odd to me that you only have pain when mousing and not just general computer work. Maybe it's the angle of your wrist when using the mouse. Perhaps you might consider trying an alternative mousing device, ie. vertical mouse, scroll bar device, touch pad, etc. The have alot more options now for pointing devices.

You might also consider standing (rather than sitting) at the computer. I switched to a sit-to-stand desk so that I can stand and do computer work. It helps. I don't slouch as much when standing.
good luck with it...

Forgot to mention that since you can reproduce symptoms by pressing on the pec minor, you need to be doing pec minor stretches and/or soft tissue work on yourself, 3 X a day, starting today.

This helps me immensely!

During the last 4 yrs I've tried many treatments (PTs, acupuncture, chiros, injections) and the only method that has kept symptoms under some control is soft tissue work, specifically trigger point work. I use the Clair Davies The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief (check out the customer reviews on Amazon). It's probably been referred to here by others. Particularly helpful for me has been trigger point work on the SCMs, scalenes, muscles at the back of the neck - it's the only way I control the headaches and face pain. Go slow with trigger point work since it can cause dizziness and you don't want to end up bruising yourself. Physician administered trigger point injections did nothing for me and often aggravated symptoms. Also, trigger point dry needling didn't help me; it helps many but caused too much inflammation in my case, making symptoms worse. Also, Leland Val's alexander technique breathing tips on his freeyourneck website have been helpful. Sorry, I'm a newbie here and not yet allowed to post links on nuerotalk. I tend to take very shallow breaths from the neck and chest and this has become increasingly more the case with pain. Incorrect breathing from accessory muscles (not the diaphragm) strains the scalenes which are already too tight. My neck muscles looked incredibly strained. The breathing exercises also help me relax and calm down when feeling particularly down and anxious.

[QUOTE=Eight;1027128]Try moving your mouse down lower. Maybe a keyboard tray like this:

[******************]

I having been using that keyboard tray for the last 6 months and it definitely helps. I have a desk job (attorney) and one of the worst things I was doing was reaching forward for the mouse, many hours a day. I also invested in a new chair with arm rests. None of this is fixing the TOS symptoms, but it's helped prevent symptoms from totally spiraling out of control.