Thoracic outlet syndrome

Your hand is supplied by five nerve roots that branch off your spinal cord in your neck at five separate levels. They all come together and pass through a canal formed by two muscles in the front of your neck (scalene) and your first rib, called the thoracic outlet.

The thoracic outlet is a less frequent site of compression of the nerve bundle, known as thoracic outlet syndrome. Because the muscles that form this canal are your accessory breathing muscles symptoms are most likely to occur during heavy exercise such as jogging or swimming. Shortening of these muscles is most frequently associated with habitual dysfunctional breathing.

 Other symptoms can include:

• Chest pain

• Shoulder pain

• Inner arm, inner elbow and small and ring finger pain

• Swelling or puffiness in your arm or hand

• Bluish discoloration of your hand

• Feeling of heaviness in your arm or hand

• Easily fatigued arms and hands

• Superficial vein distention in your hand

• Chest Pain

• Muscle weakness and wasting of your hand gripping muscles

• Difficulty with hand fine coordination