Pec Minor Strain from Squatting?

[Sebastian96]

So about 5 months ago I've had an injury which was (after MANY different doctor visits) diagnosed as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome - specifically Pectoralis Minor Syndrome on my left side. And to sum it up this completely fucked my grip/pushing strength for about 3-4 months, also with my fingers being numb and having tightness in my front neck.
I couldn't find out whether this was from having the bar in the wrong place while squatting or a too narrow grip on the deadlift, but I've adressed both of those.

So recently I started squatting again and noticed the same symptoms on my right side (the other one). One day I had slight numbness in my fingers that went away in 1-2 hours (and shrugged it off), and the workout afterwards caused it to be persistend for ~4 days now, with the neck tightness returning and my chest having spams immediately afterwards.

Today I tried squatting and immediately felt the symptoms getting worse during the first warmup set, then stopped. I'm not feeling any pain during this.
Right now I'm not feeling any weakness, my pec minor hurts when stretching and is a bit tight, but otherwise functional. But I fear that going on will aggravate it.

Any ideas what's causing this ? (chest too high, bar too low, scapula too retracted?)
Also what would be the best way to rehab from my current point? Feels like it's not too serious yet.

[Sebastian96]

Is it not possible to edit a post?

Anyway, I've recently been using a very narrow grip so the bar was quite stable even with low elbows.
Could having my elbows too low put a stretch on my pec minor? I've noticed less discomfort when I put them up higher.

[Soule]

Your symptoms sound similar to an injury I had after rolling over my neck at jiu jitsu. I had numbness and sort of a warm tingle down my right arm and a dramatic loss of strength on that side. My pec was twitching constantly and i could feel it all the way around my rib cage and surrounding my right scap. The back of my rotator cuff below near the teres major was constantly lit up.

The good news is it got better without any surgery, injections, or physical therapy - If you have access to an assisted dip machine try starr protocol with light dips.

Aim your chest down a bit like a squat. Lockout with your shoulders pushed down hard and your abs engaged. You should feel some traction in your upper tspine at lockout and during the rebound.

[Will Morris]

Your symptoms sound similar to an injury I had after rolling over my neck at jiu jitsu. I had numbness and sort of a warm tingle down my right arm and a dramatic loss of strength on that side. My pec was twitching constantly and i could feel it all the way around my rib cage and surrounding my right scap. The back of my rotator cuff below near the teres major was constantly lit up.

The good news is it got better without any surgery, injections, or physical therapy - If you have access to an assisted dip machine try starr protocol with light dips.

Aim your chest down a bit like a squat. Lockout with your shoulders pushed down hard and your abs engaged. You should feel some traction in your upper tspine at lockout and during the rebound.

I think your symptoms and mechanism of injury suggest a brachial plexopathy (stinger) whereas the original poster has been previously diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. These are not the same thing, and will not be treated the same way. Nor, will the expected outcome be the same.

[Soule]

I think your symptoms and mechanism of injury suggest a brachial plexopathy (stinger) whereas the original poster has been previously diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. These are not the same thing, and will not be treated the same way. Nor, will the expected outcome be the same.

Sounds about right. My symptoms were pretty severe for about a year and moderate for another year. Finally went away when i added dips into my programming.

Do you think that dips can be used to help recovery from brachial plexopathy? I could feel an almost release and reduction in symptoms after the first set, sometimes following a nice pop in my upper tspine.

Would the starr protocol via dips help him recovery from his pec minor strain and/or thoracic outlet syndrome?

[Will Morris]

Sounds about right. My symptoms were pretty severe for about a year and moderate for another year. Finally went away when i added dips into my programming.

Do you think that dips can be used to help recovery from brachial plexopathy? I could feel an almost release and reduction in symptoms after the first set, sometimes following a nice pop in my upper tspine.

Would the starr protocol via dips help him recovery from his pec minor strain and/or thoracic outlet syndrome?

Dips could be added to the treatment / exercise menu when recovering from a brachial plexopathy because the pec and triceps are get some of their innervation from C7. Perhaps, if the OP had a first rib elevation and the dips caused the elevation to remedy itself, it might take care of some of the symptoms.

I do not recommend high repetition work for injuries known to be, or suspected to be caused by a nerve injury. These types of injuries may lead the client more susceptible to neuronal apoptosis with high volume work. I do not treat nerve injuries in the clinic with high repetition work. I use very high loads (as much as tolerable) and I use short, burst sets to allow the patient / client to finish the set without a lot of accumulated fatigue.

Plus, how many people out there can knock out 3 sets of 25 dips without thinking about it? I mean, I can, but I can out-dip most people in the world.

[Soule]

Thanks for the info doc!

I recall seeing a chiropractor for my injury years ago and he had mentioned that my first rib seemed out of place and i remember feeling a sort of weird indentation on my right pec. The spine of my scapula was also noticeably lower on the right side.

I remember attempting bench press the day after the injury and i was caught by surprise when my right arm was misfiring on my first warmup set. That arm constantly felt like it was warm and tingly, almost as if my circulation was being restricted.

The dips I am referring to would be much less than bodyweight with the use of an assisted pullup/dip machine if the OP had access to such equipment. I suppose band assisted dips may work as well.

Of course, as you have mentioned, my injury is not the same as the OPs, But I wonder if dips (starting at less than bodyweight) can provide a solution for people with a similar injury as i have described. The feeling of decompression in the Tspine while performing a dip seems hard to replicate with any other movement.