Published on: 4/7/2025
Numbness in the chest area can be due to a few different causes, such as nerve irritation from surgery or injury, issues with the cervical spine, or compression of nerves in the chest. You should see a doctor if experiencing this symptom.
There are several possibilities for why you might feel numbness in your chest. One possibility is that if you’ve had surgery or injury related to a clavicle fracture, the plating procedure can irritate or injure nerves in the front of the chest. This nerve injury may lead to numbness that sometimes improves over time. Another cause could be issues with the cervical spine. Sometimes, problems in the neck can send pain or numb sensations to the chest – a condition sometimes called cervical angina. This happens when nerve signals from the neck are felt in the chest instead. A third potential reason is thoracic outlet syndrome, which occurs when nerves or blood vessels are compressed as they pass through the space between the collarbone and first rib. This can cause numbness that may also affect the arms or hands. It’s important to know that the exact cause depends on individual factors and history, so discussing your symptoms with a healthcare provider is the best way to get a clear picture and proper treatment.
(References)
Christensen TJ, Horwitz DS, Kubiak EN. Natural history of anterior chest wall numbness after plating of clavicle fractures: educating patients. J Orthop Trauma. 2014 Nov;28(11):642-7. doi: 10.1097/BOT.0000000000000095. PMID: 24662990.
Harada T, Nakai M. Cervical Angina as a Cause of Non-Cardiac Chest Pain: A Case Report. Cureus. 2023 Mar 17;15(3):e36279. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36279. PMID: 37065290; PMCID: PMC10103829.
Kaplan J, Kanwal A. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. [Updated 2023 Apr 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557450/
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