Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Advanced Exercise Programme
Aim to perform this programme a minimum of once per day unless prescribed otherwise. As with any new exercise, start slowly (repetitions as able) and build up as you are able within the guidelines below.
Pain should not exceed 5/10 whilst completing this exercise programme.
1. Reverse fly
- Stand with equal size, light weights in both hands (use whatever you have around the house if you don’t have weights).
- Keep your back straight and bend forward at your hips.
- Keep your arms straight and take both arms out to the side to shoulder height.
- Control your arms slowly back down to resting in front of you.
2. Single arm wall press
- Stand approximately one small step away from the wall.
- Place one hand chest high on the wall so that your elbow is slightly bent.
- Bend your elbow to take your head and shoulders closer to the wall.
- Push against the wall to return to starting position.
3. Ulnar Nerve Stretch
- Make a zero shape with your finger and thumb, hold your arm out to the side, wrist and elbow level with shoulder or as close as possible.
- Bend the elbow to 90 degrees, turn the wrist to face the head and turn your head to look at your wrist. Bring the fingers to touch the forehead meeting in the middle.
- Now bring your wrist and head back apart, turn your head and wrist to face away from each other and them back to facing each other.
We recommend consulting a musculoskeletal physiotherapist to ensure exercises are best suited to your recovery. If you are carrying out an exercise regime without consulting a healthcare professional, you do so at your own risk. If you have any concerns whilst completing these exercises, please contact a healthcare professional.
More Plans
This programme focuses on maintaining a range of movement within the shoulder and neck and appropriate stretches for specific muscles. Advice will be provided in order to help you decrease your symptoms. We suggest you carry this out once a day for approximately 2-4 weeks as pain allows. We can work into pain during these exercises but ideally, it should not exceed any more than 5/10 on your self-perceived pain scale (3).
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This is the next progression. More focus is given to the neural system with specific neural and muscular strengthening exercises. As with the early programme, some pain is to be expected but ideally, we do not want this to be any more than 5/10 on your pain scale.
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