"Nerve compression problems behind the elbow are called cubital tunnel syndrome. The ulnar nerve passes through the cubital tunnel which is a bony passageway. When you "hit your funny bone" and have tingling in the small and ring fingers, you are hitting the ulnar nerve at the cubital tunnel.
The tunnel has a bone passageway on both sides and the base. A ligament holds the nerve into the tunnel by crossing from one bone to the other. The ulnar nerve controls muscles used for gripping, primarily of the little, ring, and sometimes middle fingers. It also controls muscles in the hand used for strong pinch, and other muscles that coordinate fine movements. This includes most of the muscles in the hand except two muscles that lift the thumb up and out of your palm, turning the thumb into a better position for pinching. The ulnar nerve also receives feeling from the small and ring fingers from both the palm and backside of your hand.
Your complaints may result from either sensory or motor (muscle) nerve compression. For example, your symptoms may primarily involve numbness and tingling in the little and ring fingers, the side and back of the hand. These complaints occur or worsen when the elbow is bent, as when: 1) holding a telephone in the hand, 2) resting the head on the hand, 3) crossing the arms over the chest, 4) curling the arm under the body during the night.
Your hand may also become cold or numb when it is on top of a steering wheel. The other group of symptoms involves motor functions of the nerve. You may be aware that the hand has become weaker, resulting in trouble opening jars. You may drop things, or your hand may not perform quite as easily as it did before. For example, you may have difficulty coordinating your fingers while typing or playing the violin, guitar, or piano. The problems usually worsen with extended activities. Frequently there are both sensory and motor symptoms present. Often we do not know the cause of this problem.
Often, the patient experienced some injury to the region of the elbow: Examples include fractures, dislocations, direct blows, and severe twisting of the elbow. The nerve can also be injured with a sudden forceful flexion and extension of the elbow as may occur when the hands are on the wheel of a car in a rear ended automobile accident. Occupations requiring significant elbow flexion throughout the day, such as typing, computer data or assembly line work may contribute toward problems with pressure on this nerve. Nerve compressions are more common in people with arthritis, diabetes, thyroid problems, and those who consume a great deal of alcohol.
Treatment for a pinched nerve usually involves resting the affected area. Pain medication may be prescribed. Occasionally corticosteroid injections are used along with splinting and physical therapy. Sometimes changes in occupational routine will be recommended. In some cases, surgery is recommended. Carpal tunnel syndrome may be managed with either closed endoscopic nerve release or open release. Cubital tunnel is managed with open release. Physical therapy and splints or collars may also be used. "
I am 99% sure this is the issue that I have with my right arm/wrist/fingers.
It explains why the problem gets worse with typing, driving, and at night.
I am pretty sure that the nerve is pinched in my elbow, not my neck or shoulder like it is with many people with this problem.
It's bothering me very badly today, which is what made me decide to search this out.
Hmmmm.
"Ulnar nerve entrapment occurs when the ulnar nerve in the arm becomes compressed. When this happens, the nerve does not function normally.
If the nerve is compressed at the wrist, a zigzag incision will be made at the base of the palm on the little finger side of the hand. The surgeon will open the roof of Guyon's canal to take the pressure off the ulnar nerve. If there is a cyst or another reason for the compression, the surgeon will remove that at the same time.
"Ulnar nerve entrapment occurs when the ulnar nerve in the arm becomes compressed. When this happens, the nerve does not function normally.
The ulnar nerve is one of the three main nerves in the arm. It travels from under the collarbone and along the inside of the upper arm. It passes through a tunnel of tissue (the cubital tunnel) behind the inside of the elbow. Here you can feel the nerve through the skin. It is commonly called the " funny bone. " (bottom left figure)
Beyond the elbow, the nerve travels under muscles on the inside of the arm and into the hand on the side of the palm with the little finger. As the nerve enters the hand, it travels through another tunnel (Guyon's canal).
The nerve functions to give sensation to the little finger and the half of the ring finger that is near the little finger. It also controls most of the little muscles in the hand that help with fine movements, and some of the bigger muscles in the forearm that help to make a strong grip. (bottom right figure)
 The ulnar nerve runs behind the elbow on the inside of the arm. The upper arm bone (humerus) has a groove on the back where the nerve lies. Here the nerve can be felt as the " funny bone. " The ulna is the forearm bone that makes the point of the elbow when it is bent. |  The ulnar nerve gives sensation to the little finger and to half of the ring finger on both the palm and back side of the hand. |
The most common place where the nerve gets compressed is behind the elbow. Sometimes it gets compressed at the wrist, beneath the collarbone, or as it comes out of the spinal cord in the neck.
 The median nerve, which is involved in |  Many people sleep with their arms curled up like this. Sleeping with the elbow bent can aggravate symptoms of ulnar nerve compression and cause you to wake up at night with your fingers asleep. |
It is not known exactly what causes compression of the ulnar nerve. Some factors can make it more likely that the nerve will be compressed. These include:
- Prior fractures of the elbow
- Bone spurs
- Swelling of the elbow joint
- Cysts
A direct blow to the inside of the elbow, leaning on the elbow for prolonged periods, or repetitive activity that requires a bent elbow can irritate the nerve if it is already compressed.
If the ulnar nerve is compressed at the wrist, the cause is more likely to be a cyst in Guyon's canal.
Ulnar nerve entrapment can give symptoms of " falling asleep " in the ring finger and little finger, especially when the elbow is bent. There may be an aching pain on the inside of the elbow. In some cases, it may be harder moving the fingers in and out or manipulating objects.
Carpal tunnel syndrome has similar symptoms, but involves a different nerve (the median nerve). Carpal tunnel syndrome typically causes tingling in the thumb, index finger, and long finger.
Numbness and tingling in the ring finger and little finger are common symptoms of ulnar nerve entrapment. Often, these symptoms come and go. They happen more often when the elbow is bent, such as when driving or holding the phone . Some people wake up at night because their fingers are numb.
Weakening of the grip and difficulty with finger coordination (such as typing or playing an instrument) may occur.
If the nerve is very compressed or has been compressed for a long time, muscle wasting in the hand can occur. Once this happens, muscle wasting cannot be reversed. For this reason, it is important to see the doctor as soon as any of the symptoms are noticed.
Always see an orthopaedist if there are having symptoms of ulnar nerve entrapment that interfere with normal activities or last more than a few weeks.
The doctor will examine the arm to determine where the nerve is compressed. If the nerve is irritated, tapping over the nerve at the " funny bone " can cause a shock into the little finger and ring finger, although this can happen when the nerve is normal as well.
The doctor will probably move the shoulder, elbow and wrist to see if any of these cause symptoms. The doctor will test the sensation in the fingers.
Although most causes of compression of the ulnar nerve cannot be seen on an X-ray, the doctor may take an X-ray of the elbow or wrist to look for bone spurs, arthritis, or other places that the bone may be compressing the nerve.
If the doctor thinks that the nerve is compressed at the wrist, a computed tomographic (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance image (MRI) may be recommended to see if a cyst or other structure is the cause of the compression.
The doctor may recommend nerve conduction studies. These are special tests to determine how well the nerve is working and to help localize the area of compression. Nerves work like wires; when the nerve is not working well, it takes too long for the nerve to conduct. During this test, the nerve is stimulated in one place. The amount of time it takes for the response to be conducted to another place is determined. The area where the nerve conduction takes too long is likely to be the place where the nerve is compressed.
Sometimes, a small needle is put into some of the muscles that the ulnar nerve controls. This can determine if there is any evidence of muscle wasting.
Unless there is a lot of muscle wasting, nonsurgical treatment will probably be the initial treatment.
Prevention
- Avoid frequent use of the arm with the elbow bent
- If you use a computer frequently, make sure that your chair is not too low. Do not rest the elbow on the armrest.
- Avoid leaning on the elbow or putting pressure on the inside of the arm
- For example, do not drive with the arm resting on the open window.
- Keep the elbow straight at night when you are sleeping. This can be done by wrapping a towel around the straight elbow, wearing an elbow pad backwards, or using a special brace.
Loosely wrapping a towel around the arm with tape can help you to remember not to bend the elbow during the night.
Nonsurgical Treatment
If symptoms have only just started, the doctor may recommend an anti-inflammatory medicine, such as ibuprofen, to help reduce swelling around the nerve. Steroid (cortisone) injections around the ulnar nerve are not generally used because there is a risk of damage to the nerve.
Some doctors think that exercises to help the nerve slide through the tunnels can improve the symptoms. These exercises can help keep the arm and wrist from getting stiff.
 With your arm forward and the elbow straight, curl the wrist and fingers toward the body, then extend them away from you and then bend the elbow. |
 With the arm to the side, curl the wrist and fingers toward the shoulder and then turn the palm up and then stretch the neck to the other side. |
Surgical Treatment
If the strategies listed above do not help improve the condition; if the nerve is very compressed; or if there is muscle wasting, the doctor may recommend surgery to take pressure off of the nerve.
Most often, the surgery is done around the elbow, but it can be done at the wrist, if that is the place of the compression. Sometimes, the nerve is compressed in both places, so surgery is done at both the elbow and the wrist.
Surgeons use various ways to relieve compression from the nerve around the elbow. All of the operations involve making an incision around the elbow.
In one operation, only the " roof " is taken off of the cubital tunnel. This tends to work best when the nerve compression is mild.
More commonly, the nerve is moved from its place behind the elbow to a new place in front of the elbow. This is called an anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve. The nerve can be moved to lie under the skin and fat but on top of the muscle (subcutaneous transposition), within the muscle (intermuscular transposition) or under the muscle (submuscular transposition). There are many factors that go into deciding where the nerve is moved. The doctor will recommend the best option for you.
For anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve, an incision along the inside of the elbow is used. The surgeon will move the nerve from behind the elbow to in front of it and will make sure that it is not compressed by any other structures. A similar skin incision is used regardless of how deep under the skin the nerve is moved.
This shows a typical incision to relieve entrapment of the ulnar nerve at Guyon's canal. If your ulnar nerve is compressed at the wrist, the surgeon will make an incision similar to this and free the nerve where it is compressed.
The surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis or with an overnight stay in the hospital. Depending on the type of surgery, you may need to wear a splint for a few weeks after the operation. A submuscular transposition usually requires a longer time (three to six weeks) in a splint.
The surgeon may recommend physical therapy to help regain strength and motion in the arm.
The results of the surgery are generally good. If the nerve is very badly compressed or if there is muscle wasting, the nerve may not be able to return to normal and some symptoms may remain even after the surgery. Nerves recover slowly, and it can take a long time to know how well the nerve will do after surgery.
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copied from http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00069
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