Pectoralis Minor
After passing through the scalenes, the median nerve goes under your collarbone (clavicle).
It then passes under a small part of the shoulder blade (scapula) called the coracoid process.
There is a muscle in the chest called the Pectoralis Minor, which inserts into the coracoid process.
When this muscle contracts it pulls the coracoid process down and raises the arm over the head. If you sleep with your arm raised over your head, the bone is pressing down onto the nerve for hours at a time. This is the reason why people wake up with numb fingers.
Waking up at night with numbness is considered a major symptom for carpal tunnel syndrome, but all you need to do is lower your arm - you don't need surgery to correct the problem!
The Julstro™ Self-Treatment Kit teaches you how to release the pressure on the nerve and artery. Prevent, or stop, numbness in your fingers.
Next Page: Flexors
*Information based on research published by Travell, JG, Simons DG. Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction, The Trigger Point Manual (Book). 1983 Williams & Wilkins Publishers, Baltimore, MD.