Introduction to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

The term "thoracic outlet syndrome" first appeared in the medical literature in 1956 in an article published by R.M. Peet and colleagues entitled "Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: Evaluation of Therapeutic Exercise Program" (Mayo Clinic Proceedings Vol. 31; pp. 281-287).

Since that time, thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) has been the subject of much controversy and some experts have expressed the opinion that it is one of the most poorly understood, underdiagnosed, and misdiagnosed conditions. It remains difficult to diagnose for several reasons including:

• Wide variability of symptoms
• Diffuse symptoms which cross many systems (e.g., vascular, neural, musculoskeletal)
• Lack of a reliable test which confirms the diagnosis