Pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, hands – even headache may be due to a treatable disorder called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS).

This is a general medical term that refers to entrapments and pinched nerves occurring in the neck and shoulder region, but outside of the spine. The most common features of this disorder are pain and numbness in the ring and little finger and the experience of increased pain and numbness, even weakness when working with your arms lifted or overhead.

Sure, neck, shoulder, arm and hand pain can be due to the spine, but about half the time the spine is normal and the real problem is in the nerves of the “brachial plexus” that travel through the thoracic outlet along with the arteries and veins. In the past, there has been no good way to diagnose TOS.

Now, MR neurography has made the diagnosis of TOS reliable and accurate. Don’t get a spine surgery you may not need if your problem might be due to TOS. New treatments for TOS are highly safe and effective so a neurography scan may be your ticket to pain relief.