Signs and symptoms of TOS?

• A. Neck or shoulder pain, numbness or tingling along the arm, and possible muscle weakness.
• B. Jaw pain only.
• C. Upper leg numbness.
• D. Chest pain unrelated to arms.

Answer: (A)

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome shows up mainly as symptoms in the upper limb because nerves and blood vessels pass through the narrow space at the top of the chest. The typical signs are neck or shoulder pain with numbness or tingling that runs down the arm, and sometimes weakness in the hand or forearm. This reflects irritation or compression of the brachial plexus nerves (neurogenic TOS) and can also involve vascular effects, but the arm symptoms are the most characteristic.

The other options don’t fit because they describe problems not primarily affecting the upper extremity: jaw pain alone isn’t a telltale sign of TOS, numbness in the upper leg points to a different nerve or spine issue, and chest pain not linked to arm symptoms suggests a cardiac or chest wall cause rather than thoracic outlet compression.