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What Is Cubital Tunnel Syndrome?
What Are Its Causes?Many things can cause the ulnar nerve to get pinched. Some of them include:
• Holdingaphonetotheearforalongtime• Leaningonelbowsforalongtime• Sleepingwitharmstightlybent• Asuddenelbowinjury• Apastelbowfracture(lessfrequent)
What Are Its Symptoms?Symptomscanbeminoratfirst.Buttheymayworsenovertime.Commonsymptomsinclude:
• Numbnessortinglinginringandlittlefingers• Lossoffingerorhandstrength• Inabilitytostraightenfingers• Sharp,suddenpainwhenelbowistouched
Cubitaltunnelsyndromeisasetofsymptomsthat may occur if the ulnar nerve in your elbowgetspinched.Thismayhappenifyoubendorleanonyourelbowsoften.
Bending your elbow as you hold a phone can cause problems over time.
Thecubital tunnelisagrooveinabonenearyourelbow.Thisnarrowgrooveprovidesa passage for the ulnar nerve, one of the mainnervesinyourarm.Theulnarnervecancause“funnybone”painifyourelbowgetsbumped.Yourcubitaltunnelhelpsprotect this nerve as it passes through your elbowanddowntoyourfingers.
Compressing the Ulnar NerveBendingyourelbowcompressestheulnarnerveinsidethecubitaltunnel.Thenervecangetinflamed(irritated)afterconstantbendingandpinchingoraftergettinghurt.Overtime,thiscanleadtopainornumbness.Thepainis often felt in your ring and little fingers.
The Cubital Tunnel
Ulnar nerve in cubital tunnel
Yourdoctorwilllookatyourhandandelbowandaskyouaboutyourdailytasks.Youalsomayhavesometests.Mosttreatmentforcubitaltunnelsyndromebeginswithchangingyouractionsthatmayhavecausedtheproblem.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Getting TreatmentRest,medication,andchangesinhowyoudotaskscanhelpyoueasepain.Youmaytry:
• Activerest(doingmosttaskswhilefindingwaystorestyourelbow)
• Takingmedicationtoreduceswelling• Switchingtoaheadset-stylephone• Usingpadsunderyourelbow• Sleepingwithyourarmstraight• Wearingaspecialelbowsplintatnight
Making a DiagnosisYourwork,hobbies,orevenhowyousleepmaybebehindyourpain.Yourdoctorwillaskaboutthemtohelplearnwhat’scausingyoursymptoms.Testsmaythenbedonetoruleoutotherproblemsandto confirm a diagnosis.
• Nerve conduction measures the speed of nerve signals running through your ulnar nerve.
• Electromyogram (EMG) testing reveals problemswiththemusclesinyourarm.
• X-rayscanruleoutfractures,arthritis,orotherproblemsthatmaycauseyoursymptoms.
A nerve conduction test can show how quickly your nerve signals travel.
If Surgery Is NeededIfrestingyourelbowdoesn’twork,yourdoctormaysuggestsurgery.Thisshiftstheulnarnervefromthebacktothefrontofthecubitaltunnel.Surgeryalsomayremovepartofthebone.Thiscanreleasethenervefromthetunnel.Yourdoctorwillexplainthe details.
Using a phone headset can help reduce pain.
This product is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. ©2010 The StayWell Company. www.krames.com 800-333-3032 All rights reserved.
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Preventing Flare-Ups
Youcankeepcubitaltunnelsyndromefromflaringup.Avoidpinchingtheulnarnervebykeepingyourarmstraightasmuchasyoucan,evenwhilesleeping.Andusephoneheadsetsandelbowpads.Ifyoustillhavepain,tellyourdoctor.