Thoracic Outlet
Compression Syndrome

Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary’s definition: A symptom complex caused by conditions in which nerves or vessels are compressed in the neck or axilla (armpit). The condition may be confused with cervical disk lesions, osteoarthritis affecting cervical vertebrae, bursitis, brachial plexus injury, angina, and lung cancer.

The main treatment objective for thoracic outlet syndrome is to release the internal rotation of one or both shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands. The condition can lead to nerve entrapment, and is usually present in clients with thoracic outlet. Muscles in the neck, chest, armpit, shoulder, upper arm, are most often the culprits for impingement of the brachial plexus, which is responsible in many cases for thoracic outlet symptoms. They are often misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel. A thorough deep tissue body restructuring protocol to release this structural pattern (internal rotation) will oftentimes relieve the problem.