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The most common symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome are:
If the nerve continues to be compressed, it won’t send signals to the muscles and the hand will get weaker. When this happens, a person may have these symptoms:
See a doctor if you are having tingling or numbness in your hand that doesn’t go away with rest.
Cubital tunnel syndrome is caused by irritation or pressure on the arm’s ulnar nerve. The ulnar nerve is easily compressed because it has to go through a very narrow space in the elbow without much padding from soft tissue like muscles or fat. These are the most common causes of ulnar nerve irritation and pressure:
To diagnose cubital tunnel syndrome, you can expect the doctor to:
Treatments for cubital tunnel syndrome include the following:
Cubital tunnel syndrome can be prevented by not:
Some people may not be able to prevent cubital tunnel syndrome because of the anatomy of their elbow — the way the bones, nerves, and soft tissues come together in the elbow.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, “Ulnar Nerve Entrapment at the Elbow (Cubital Tunnel Syndrome)”:
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00069
American Society for Surgery of the Hand, “Cubital Tunnel Syndrome”:
http://www.assh.org/handcare/hand-arm-conditions/cubital-tunnel
Cubital (kyoo-bi-tl) tunnel syndrome (also called ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow) is when the nerve that goes down the arm gets irritated or compressed (pressed down) at the elbow. This can cause tingling, numbness, or weakness in the fingers, and pain from the elbow to the hand. This nerve is called the ulnar (uhl-nuhr) nerve, but many people know it as the “funny bone” nerve. It’s the nerve that causes pain and tingling when you bump your elbow in just the right spot.
The ulnar nerve travels from your spinal cord in your neck down the arm to the side of your hand where the pinky finger is. Along the way, the nerve passes through a very narrow space in the elbow called the cubital tunnel. It doesn’t have much room or protection as it passes through this space, which is why it’s easy for the nerve to get irritated or compressed. The compression can cause problems with the nerve from the elbow to the hand.