Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: What It Means for Arm Numbness and Tingling

The Nerve, Muscle & Joint Health Newsletter

Understanding Your Condition

If you’ve noticed numbness, tingling, or a heavy, achy feeling in your arm or hand this summer — especially after swimming laps, playing tennis, painting a ceiling, or carrying a loaded bag on one shoulder — you may be experiencing thoracic outlet syndrome, or TOS.

TOS happens when nerves or blood vessels get compressed as they pass through the narrow space between your collarbone and your first rib. Repetitive overhead motion, poor posture, or carrying weight on one side can all narrow that space over time.

Common symptoms to watch for:

• Numbness or tingling in the fingers, hand, or forearm

• A feeling of heaviness or fatigue in the arm during activity

• Occasional swelling or a change in color in the hand

• Pain that radiates from the neck or shoulder down the arm

These symptoms often come and go with activity, which is exactly why people brush them off as “just a strain.” But because TOS can look similar to other nerve conditions, getting an accurate diagnosis early makes a real difference in how quickly and completely you recover.

Wellness Corner

Protecting Your Shoulders This Summer

A few simple habits can go a long way in preventing the repetitive strain that leads to TOS:

• Switch shoulders often when carrying bags, coolers, or beach gear

• Warm up and stretch before swimming, tennis, or overhead yard work

• Take posture breaks if you’re driving long distances or working at a desk

• Don’t ignore tingling that keeps returning — early evaluation is easier to treat than a problem that’s had months to develop

Spotlight on Excellence

Kranthi Bairam

MSPT, PT

Kranthi Bairam is a physical therapist with over six years of experience. Holding a PT, MSPT, and D-EDX, he has three years of experience in electromyography and nerve conduction studies. He works with patients to identify issues such as pain, numbness, and abnormal nerve function, as well as conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, and other neuromuscular diseases. By utilizing advanced diagnostic techniques, he provides accurate assessments and treatment plans for optimal patient care.

What he enjoys the most about his job as a physical therapist and EMG specialist is identifying the root cause of the problem for the patient and providing an accurate diagnosis.

Areas of expertise:

• Manual Therapy
• EMG Testing
• Sports Rehabilitation

Did You Know?

Thoracic outlet syndrome is frequently mistaken for carpal tunnel syndrome because both cause tingling in the hand. The two conditions compress nerves in different places and require different treatment — which is exactly why electrodiagnostic testing (EMG/NCS) is so valuable in telling them apart before treatment begins.

Know Someone Who Needs Help?

If you or someone you know is experiencing numbness, tingling, pain, weakness, or other nerve, muscle, or joint-related symptoms, Hands-On EMG Testing may be able to help provide answers.

With several locations across Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Long Island, we make it easier for patients to access advanced diagnostic testing close to home. Our team provides EMG/NCS and musculoskeletal ultrasound testing to help identify the cause of symptoms and support the right next steps in care.

Ask your physician or provider to refer you, or use our online referral form here.

Feel free to share this newsletter with friends and family members who may benefit from expert diagnostic testing and clearer answers about their symptoms.