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Thread: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and Bench/Overhead Press

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Fredericton, NB, Canada
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    Default Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and Bench/Overhead Press

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    Greetings ad salutations,

    I have a lifter who is having problems with his upper body lifts due to thoracic outlet syndrome.

    Male
    54
    220
    5'7"
    Squat 330*5*3
    Bench 120*5
    Press 110*5
    Deadlift 405*5

    He is an early intermediate on a HLM variant. Has been training since April 2022. Had to start with a broomstick on the upper body lifts due to detraining caused by being told not to do upper body lifts and the resulting shoulder pain. Good compliance with diet and sleep requirements.

    One issue is that when we reach a certain weight on either the bench or overhead press, the thoracic outlet syndrome flares up and it is like his right arm gets turned off. I have tried to attack this with microloading the lifts, and have not been terribly successful at breaking through the 105-120lb barrier. Seems to happen during the descending phase of the lifts when the clavicle would be coming under a lot of tension.

    My instinct is to try strict overhead pressing and maybe even benching off of pins. This would avoid the dynamic stretching at the bottom of a press 2.0 or a lowering bench press.

    Does anybody else have any experience or input with this?

    Thank you.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    North Texas
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    53,559

    Default

    Does he have a cervical rib causing the TOS?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
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    Fredericton, NB, Canada
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    Default

    No cervical rib. The TOS is from one of two sources, either from an old broken collarbone or from a nerve injury in his neck back in 2009 that caused atrophy of the right trap, deltoid, pectoral and triceps.

  4. #4
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    Has any surgery been suggested?

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Fredericton, NB, Canada
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    Default

    No surgery has been suggested by the client nor by his doctor. I do not have the experience or education to make a recommendation on that. He has discomfort with the shoulder that he has learned to live with and is alleviated to a degree by lifting. He can sleep at night with it, so to him it is an acceptable situation.

    He's just frustrated that it's interfering with his lifts.

  6. #6
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    Jul 2007
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    I agree with him. If it gets worse, it's surgery.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Fredericton, NB, Canada
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    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    It's a nuisance at this point.

    Unless someone else chimes in with a better idea, I'll use pin presses from the normal rack position for the press an pin bench pressing. This is to kill the stretch reflexes that seem to precede flare ups of the TOS symptoms.

    Whether this is a wild success or an utter failure, I'll report back.

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