Question about Thoracic Outlet Syndrome & Rib Pain

Hi, new to this site and have been doing the protocol for the third time, since before I had a really hard time accepting the diagnoses 100%. I'm about 90% there but have a question about something that has been with me for the last, almost 19 years, and that is with rib pain or what is commonly known as costochondritis. Have any of you had this condition and figured out it was TMS related? A lot of times I have a lot of pain under my breastbone on both sides, to the point where I actually have ribs that pop out, if that makes sense. When that happens, it can be very painful and stop me from anything I was doing. When that happens, my muscles go into spasm.

Also the TOS is bilateral and does move from one side to the other. The main culprit is typing, especially when I'm on my phone or iPad. Since I'm a writer, this has been very challenging. Could these both be TMS? Also, I'm on Lyrica, which doesn't seem to be working, but so worried about withdrawl when I wean off. I had a horrible experience with amitriptyline. For me to just not have any pain relief, such as heat, massage, NSAIDS, etc...terrifies me.

My chiropractor says everytime he works on me, he feels the inflammation and knows where my pain is. I have had numerous blood tests but the C-reactive protein was always negative for inflammation so I wonder, can TMS cause a false sensation of inflammation when there is none or is the oxygen deprivation causing the inflammatory response to kick in? And how do I just just start doing all the things I used to when it results in excruciating muscle spasms?

TIA.

 

Hi Jules,

It sounds to me like you need a thorough evaluation from a good TMS doctor. He/she would be able to answer your questions. There is a list of doctors on this site.

You can search for this in the search box in the upper right corner.

Best wishes......

 

Thanks. There isn't any TMS doctors where I live in Utah, unfortunately.

 

At the risk of being cynical I would raise another possibility -- that your chiropractor cannot really "feel" any inflammation at all and is either deluding you or is self-deluded. I have heard so much nonsense from chiros and PTs that I heavily discount anything they say. Sorry if this comes across harshly.

If you read almost any success story you will find a failed history of chiros and PTs and acupuncturists and all manner of alternative practitioners.

 

Yeah, I have had enough of chiropractic and PT and feel the same. I just ask because he's worked on me for the past 15 years but hasn't "fixed" anything that I'm now aware of; it's just frustrating not ONE doctor can give me a straight answer. That is why I started on the TMS journey. My brain does NOT want to give up the protection though, so it's been rough; but I'm not giving up and feel I will persevere in the end

 

Well of course it's easier to take an objective view of someone else's case than one's own, and believe me I understand all the difficulties and issues in repudiating "physical" diagnoses, but 1) if after 15 years the chiro hasn't helped I would just stop going, what's the point and 2) the fact that no doctor can give you a straight answer may well be an indicator that your pain is psychogenic in origin. Muscle tension from no obvious physical cause can hurt unbelievably.