“In addition, the omohyoid muscle maintains a low pressure in the internal jugular vein by tensing the carotid sheeth”
The omohyoid is attached to the scapula, so there is a chance scapula problems/postural problems might cause issues with IJV via the omohyoid muscle…
This is very timely info, @vdm. We have a member who is struggling w/ shoulder, rhomboid & rib pain along w/ VES (no surgery yet). The muscles are all somewhat functionally interconnected in that area of the upper back. That scapular dysfunction could indirectly impact the IJV is very interesting & is just another fact that shows what a complex interrelated network our muscles form w/in our bodies.
Could you connect me to the member you mention? I have TOS and VES, scheduled for styloidectomy in February. I also have long thoracic nerve damage and today Dr Hepworth told me he wants to do an Omohyoid ectomy. He thinks that will help with the long thoracic issues. I’m not finding any posts related to that in the forum. Thank you.
@Nikkimm - I am so sorry, but at the moment I’m totally drawing a blank as to which member I was referring to. We’ve got quite a number of members w/ TOS symptoms & that sometimes goes hand in hand w/ VES. We’ve also had members w/ severe TOS symptoms tell us they resolved after their styloidectomies, however, this isn’t true in every case.
I just looked up the omohyoid muscle & see that it attaches to the front of the hyoid bone. It’s one of a series of muscles attached to the hyoid that help w/ swallowing. I would question whether or not it would affect the position of the hyoid in your neck/throat if that was removed i.e. would it cause the hyoid to tilt to one side w/ that supporting muscle gone. A hyoid out of alignment causes BIG problems with swallowing & even potentially breathing. I don’t think Dr. Hepworth would suggest cutting it if it would compromise the position of the hyoid, but it’s really important for you to know the potential changes that could make to hyoid function. Perhaps Dr. Hepworth is only planning to remove a section of the omohyoid & not fully detach it from the hyoid bone?
Thank you. I have quite a bit to learn about this.
We all have more to learn!! ES & the problems it can cause are very complex. We will likely never know everything about it.