The Effectiveness of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT01342068. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) is a condition causing numbness, tingling and weakness in patient's upper limbs. Symptoms are due to compression and restriction of the nerves and blood vessels (neurovascular bundle) that extend from the neck into the upper limb exerted by a patient's various anatomical structures. Neurovascular bundle compression can result in decreased nerve conduction and blood flow through the arteries supplying structures downstream from the restricted site. These anatomical restrictions include tight scalene muscles in the neck, tightened pectorialis minor muscle in the chest and extra ribs growing from the C7 vertebra. TOS can be diagnosed by using special tests designed to re-elicit neurovascular bundle compression. Upon obtaining a positive test, the patient can undergo osteopathic manipulative treatments (OMT) to change the anatomical restrictions allowing for a decrease of symptoms and even eradication of the syndrome altogether. Although diagnosis and treatment of TOS is common in osteopathic medicine, the effectiveness of the diagnostic special tests and treatment has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the special tests (Adson's, Wright's hyperabduction and Halstead maneuver) in diagnosing a change in blood flow through the arteries of the upper arm compared to evaluation with Doppler ultrasound to measure blood flow while the tests are performed. Patients with positive tests will be treated with OMT including myofascial release, soft tissue, and articulation to relieve restricting structures. Upon completion of treatment, the special tests will be performed again along with the Doppler ultrasound to measure blood flow through blood vessels. Results then are analyzed statistically for significance of the ability correctly diagnose and treat TOS symptoms. Results from this study will contribute towards the validity of teaching special tests in osteopathic medical schools and allow for a non-invasive treatment protocol for patients with TOS.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT01342068
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Observational
- Phase
- Not listed
- Enrollment
- 31 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Interventions
Not listed
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 21 Years to 60 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepts healthy volunteers
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- May 31, 2011
- Primary completion
- Mar 31, 2013
- Completion
- Mar 31, 2013
- Last update posted
- Apr 24, 2013
2011 – 2013
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Southeastern University | Davie | Florida | 33314 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT01342068, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Apr 24, 2013 · Synced Sep 5, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT01342068 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.