How common is thoracic outlet syndrome?

Not very common: Three manisfestations: 1. Pinching of the artery leading to the arm and hand (most common) 2. Pinching of the vein leading to the arm and hand, resulting in swelling (next common) 3. Pinching of the nerve resulting in various types of pain (not very common).

Not uncommon: So far, we find that prevalence numbers are variable depending where one searches. Since many cases of tos are associated with trauma, and often mis-diagnosed, it is hard to be precise. But, those of us who constantly see pts with possible tos, find that this is neither rare, nor unusual, and we are gathering statistics currently to update the incidence. Updates will be in next few months.