A cervical rib is an extra rib that forms above the normal first rib, growing from the base of the neck just above the collarbone. The defect is present at birth, but usually not noticed until later in life.
Symptoms::
If the extra rib does press on a vessel or nerve, you may have any of the following symptoms:
pain in the shoulder and neck, which spreads into the arm: this may come and go or be constant
moments where you lose feeling and have weakness or
tingling in the affected arm and fingers
moments where you can't carry out fine hand movements, such as doing up buttons
Raynaud's phenomenon, where the blood vessels go into a temporary spasm, affecting blood supply to the fingers and toes (turning them white)
a blood clot forming in the subclavian artery, which can affect the blood supply to the fingers, causing small patches of red or black discolouration
swelling in the affected arm (although this is rare)
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