The Human Spring: Why Your Body Was Designed to Bend, Breathe, and Recover A Different Way to Understand the Human Body Most people grow up learning that the human body works like a machine made of levers. Bones are described as rigid sticks, joints as hinges, and muscles as motors that pull things around. This […]
Modern life requires frequent interaction with smartphones, tablets, and digital devices. These tools have become essential for communication, work, and daily organization. At the same time, many individuals describe new patterns of neck, shoulder, and arm discomfort. In my clinical experience, these patterns often overlap with postural stress linked to prolonged device use. One commonly […]
Modern technology is creating a sharp rise in Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and chronic neck and upper-extremity symptoms. In my clinical experience, most individuals underestimate how much mechanical stress is placed on the shoulder girdle during everyday device use. According to Nielsen statistics, Americans now spend approximately 11.5 hours per day on handheld devices. That translates […]
A Comprehensive Guide to Chronic Neck Pain, Thoracic Outlet Compression, and Postural Muscle Guarding Chronic pain does not appear suddenly. It develops slowly, quietly, and predictably when the human body is forced to exist in positions that fight gravity rather than cooperate with it. Over time, this conflict creates muscle fatigue, muscle inflammation, and persistent […]
Nerve-related pain can be tricky to diagnose, especially when it comes to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), particularly Neurogenic TOS (NTOS). If you’ve been feeling unexplained pain, numbness, or weakness in your arms, hands, or neck, it could be a sign of nerve compression that’s affecting your daily life. 🚨 Here are some key symptoms of […]
The optimum management of TOS requires an understanding of the underlying cause(s) of the neurovascular compression or tension (1). Don’t you hate when doctors give you a treatment without determining the cause? Regardless if you have a work injury, auto accident, sports injury, repetitive motion, poor posture, or even cervical ribs, there is usually only […]
When you reach your arm and hand outside perpendicular for longer than a few minutes, you are engaging a sustained contraction of muscles that depress and compress the shoulder down into the thoracic outlet and tunnel. When you reach out your arm to manipulate an object in front of you, a series of muscle contractions […]
The United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Good Working Positions (40) “Hands, wrists, and forearms are straight, in-line and roughly parallel to the floor. Head is level, or bent slightly forward, forward facing, and balanced. Generally, it is in-line with the torso. Shoulders are relaxed and upper arms hang normally […]
What do some of the top teaching hospitals in the world, that specialize in diagnosis and treatment of TOS, say is the cause of thoracic outlet syndrome? Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital—The slim space between the collarbone and first rib is called the thoracic outlet. Blood vessels, nerves, and muscles that extend from the back […]
In my clinical experience, one of the most misunderstood drivers of chronic neck pain, chronic shoulder pain, and the persistent patterns often mistaken for structural problems is the righting reflex. This reflex is the automatic neurological mechanism the body uses to keep the head level with the horizon. When posture repeatedly triggers this reflex, individuals […]
