A Doctor’s Voice: The Week I Watched Janelle Get Her Life Back
When I first met Janelle, I saw something in her eyes that I have seen in many patients who come to me after years of searching for answers—exhaustion, fear, and the quiet heartbreak of someone who believes their life is slipping away.
She was living with muscle spasms in neck, tight scalene muscles, and deep burning pain that traced through her scalene muscles and into her chest and arm.
The pressure from her pectoralis minor was severe, and she often described a terrifying heaviness and coldness that extended from her shoulder into her fingers.
The pressure was on me because I only had 5 days and she came 9000 miles from Australia and I felt like I was her last hope It was taken in consideration but I have gotten use to this so my confidence and experience helped
She told me quietly, “I’m afraid my life is over.”
Her arm was cold. Her fingers numb. She had muscle under clavicle pain, numb fingers, and waves of hand numbness and tingling.
At times she felt numbness in arm and hand, and even episodes resembling vascular compromise.
The pain radiated into her chest and neck, with anterior scalene syndrome symptoms, tight scalene muscles symptoms, and signs of pectoralis minor syndrome all present at once.
She could no longer work as a trainer. She could barely lift her phone.
Her story echoed what I hear from many patients suffering from anterior scalene syndrome, often misdiagnosed or dismissed.
She had already tried massage therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, and acupuncture, each offering only short-term relief because none addressed the deeper structural collapse around her thoracic outlet.
When she researched surgery, she learned about anterior scalenectomy and pectoralis minor tenotomy—procedures that remove only two of the twelve muscles involved.
She realized surgery could not fully relieve the pressure. Recovery would be long. Disability likely. Her career possibly over.
She told me, “I didn’t want to lose everything I built.”
During our remote consultation, even through the video, I could see the swelling and discoloration. Her thoracic muscles were visibly imbalanced.
Her subclavius muscle looked compressed. She displayed classic anterior scalene muscle syndrome, and her arm was showing circulatory compromise.
She later told me this was the first time a doctor had truly understood what she was living with.
She did not hesitate. She booked a flight from Australia to Chicago.
Day 1: The Weight of What She’d Been Carrying
During her in-person examination, I palpated her anterior scalene muscle, and she nearly jumped. When I moved under her clavicle, she winced sharply.
The rigidity of the muscles scalene was alarming, and she had clear signs of advanced thoracic myalgia.
She also showed the unmistakable fatigue of someone whose body had been compensating far too long.
Her rib cage was elevated. Her neck was tilted. Her arm was cold, swollen, and congested. She was overwhelmed with inflammation, and she knew it.
I designed a treatment plan of 50 hours combining my deep decompression techniques with vibration therapy.
This would allow us to release the binding around her scalene muscles, reduce pressure from the pectoralis minor, and restore mobility to every structure around the thoracic outlet.
Day 2: The First Breakthrough
We began with vibration therapy to move layers of inflammation before performing deeper work.
Once the tissue warmed, we began decompression—half an inch at a time—holding pressure on the inflamed scalene region, including the muscles scalene treatment areas, until the pain subsided.
We worked down the lines of tension contributing to her anterior scalene syndrome treatment plan.
Janelle never quit, not once.
Every time she shook from the intensity, she breathed through it and said, “Keep going.”
Day 3: The Shift We Were Waiting For
On the third morning, she arrived with tears in her eyes.
“My fingers are warm,” she said. “I haven’t felt that in months.”
Her mobility improved. Her posture started to realign. The pressure under her clavicle decreased. For the first time in over a year, she felt hope.
We continued releasing the thoracic outlet syndrome exercises–related structures, loosening tissue patterns contributing to her compression.
She practiced exercises for thoracic outlet syndrome, and I guided her through thoracic outlet syndrome physical therapy strategies, combined with thoracic outlet syndrome massage, thoracic outlet physical therapy, and targeted thoracic outlet syndrome massage treatment to reinforce the decompression.
Day 4: Rebuilding Structure
With the inflammation reduced, we could now safely work on the deeper structural issues.
I continued myofascial decompression, performing myofascial release for thoracic outlet syndrome and integrating strengthening movements.
She learned to follow exercises for thoracic outlet syndrome pdf routines and exercises to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome.
She asked about other options she had been told to try, such as chiropractic for thoracic outlet syndrome and acupuncture for thoracic outlet syndrome, but she quickly realized that without addressing the dense fibrosis around the scalene muscles and pectoralis minor, nothing would change at the root.
We reinforced her recovery using TOS exercises, TOS Physical Therapy, TOS self treatment, and TOS stretches.
Her hand function returned. She lifted her arm with ease. Her strength returned rapidly once the compression was removed.
Day 5: The Woman Who Walked Out Was Not the Woman Who Walked In
By day five, her symptoms were gone. No more hand numbness tingling, no more coldness, no more numb fingers.
The frightening numbness in arm and hand with shoulder pain had vanished. Even the subtle tingling ribs symptoms that had haunted her were completely resolved.
She left my office standing taller, breathing freely, and smiling—really smiling—for the first time in months.
When she flew home to Australia, she took her life back with her.
After Returning Home
She resumed training slowly, building strength week by week.
She continued her daily exercises and vibration therapy. She regained full mobility.
She returned to work. She got her identity back—her dignity back—her life back.
She later told me, with tears in her eyes, “If I hadn’t found you, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
Why I Share Her Story
Because somewhere out there, someone else is suffering just like she was—frightened, misdiagnosed, dismissed, and losing hope.
And they need to know:
Real recovery is possible.
Janelle is proof.
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Dr James Stoxen DC., FSSEMM (hon) He is the president of Team Doctors®, Treatment and Training Center Chicago, one of the most recognized treatment centers in the world.
Dr Stoxen is a #1 International Bestselling Author of the book, The Human Spring Approach to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. He has lectured at more than 20 medical conferences on his Human Spring Approach to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and asked to publish his research on this approach to treating thoracic outlet syndrome in over 30 peer review medical journals.
He has been asked to submit his other research on the human spring approach to treatment, training and prevention in over 150 peer review medical journals. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Orthopedic Science and Research, Executive Editor or the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care, Chief Editor, Advances in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Journal and editorial board for over 35 peer review medical journals.
He is a much sought-after speaker. He has given over 1000 live presentations and lectured at over 70 medical conferences to over 50,000 doctors in more than 20 countries. He has been invited to speak at over 300 medical conferences which includes invitations as the keynote speaker at over 50 medical conferences.
After his groundbreaking lecture on the Integrated Spring-Mass Model at the World Congress of Sports and Exercise Medicine he was presented with an Honorary Fellowship Award by a member of the royal family, the Sultan of Pahang, for his distinguished research and contributions to the advancement of Sports and Exercise Medicine on an International level. He was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Personal Trainers Hall of Fame in 2012.
Dr Stoxen has a big reputation in the entertainment industry working as a doctor for over 150 tours of elite entertainers, caring for over 1000 top celebrity entertainers and their handlers. Anthony Field or the popular children’s entertainment group, The Wiggles, wrote a book, How I Got My Wiggle Back detailing his struggles with chronic pain and clinical depression he struggled with for years. Dr Stoxen is proud to be able to assist him.
Full Bio) Dr Stoxen can be reached directly at teamdoctors@aol.com
