Coat hanger syndrome is a type of pain which is experienced in your neck, shoulders and your upper back.
The coat hanger syndrome and pain is often described as a tension or aching sensation which follows the shape of a coat hanger.
Coat hanger syndrome and the pain is a symptom that is frequently associated with dysautonomia, and most particularly Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome also known as POTS and can also occur in other conditions like Multiple System Atrophy.
The pain is also thought to be related to reduced blood flow to these muscle groups when transitioning to an upright position and leads to muscle tension as well as discomfort.
In coat hanger syndrome, the pain often stars at the base of your skull and radiates down your neck and across your shoulders and into your upper back, forming a pattern that is similar to a coat hanger which is why it's called coat hanger syndrome.
Coat hanger syndrome can also feel like stiffness, tension, aching, burning or even cramping.
Coat hanger pain is also strongly linked to dysautonomia, which is a condition affecting the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and digestion.
In POTS, it's also believed that the body has trouble redistributing blood when standing and leads to decreased blood flow and oxygen to your neck and your shoulder muscles and causes pain.
While coat hanger syndrome is also strongly associated with POTS, it can also occur in other conditions such as pure autonomic failure and multiple system atrophy.
The primary theory of why coat hanger syndrome happens is that the pain is a result of insufficient blood flow also known as hypoperfusion to the muscles in your neck and upper back, especially when transitioning to an upright position.
And the lack of blood flow can lead to muscle cramping as well as tension and pain.
And abnormal vasoconstriction which is narrowing of blood vessels due to an overactive sympathetic nervous system can also contribute to the pain.