Commonly Misdiagnosed Condition Nearly Sidelines Local Athlete
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's a commonly misdiagnosed condition that strikes young active people who do repetitive things with their arms like swimming. And it nearly sidelined one local athlete.
People with this particular condition complain of numbness and pain that runs down their arm. It's often misdiagnosed as tendentious, but it's actually something that's a lot more complicated.
4 months ago 16-year-old Ian Turner couldn't use his hand or arm because it was too painful.
"It turned purple, then pure white and then switched between the two and then became freezing."
The competitive tennis player was first misdiagnosed with Tennis Elbow. In fact he had something called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
"It is actually relatively common in young men and women especially athletes and workers," said Dr. Scott Golarz of the Temple Heart and Vascular Institute.
Dr. Golarz was able to quickly spot the problem.
The artery is damaged because its compression under the collar bone and first rib that causes a series of blood clots down the arm.
"When he came to us his condition was very advanced," Dr. Golarz said. "What I was more concerned with was not necessarily the not functioning of the hand but whether he would be able to keep it."
Ian says he was freaked out to say the least.
"I was afraid I wouldn't have full use of my arm," he said.
The fix is called Decompression Surgery a complex procedure that involves removing a rib, some muscle and repairing the artery using veins from Ian's leg. The surgical scars are still healing, and Ian has regained full use of his arm and hand with no pain.
"I'm great now, tennis? Really good. I'm improving a lot."
Dr. Golarz says things like weight lifting can also cause the syndrome. Anything that's repetitive on the shoulder. It can sometimes be treated with physical therapy, but advanced cases usually need surgery. For more information, click here.
