Can Nerve Release Surgery Relieve My Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms?

Did you know that your funny bone isn’t a bone at all, but a nerve called the ulnar nerve? And this nerve is not so funny when it’s entrapped.

The odds are good that you are more than aware of this not-so-funny fact since you’re here and looking for answers for your cubital tunnel syndrome symptoms, which include pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in your forearm and hand.

As a leading neurosurgeon in California, Dr. Ali H. Mesiwala and our team routinely help patients who are dealing with stubborn cubital tunnel syndrome that isn’t responding well to conservative treatments. This help often comes in the form of peripheral nerve release surgery, which we discuss here, and whether it’s right for your cubital tunnel syndrome.

Cubital tunnel syndrome basics

When we think of nerve entrapment issues in the forearms and hands, we often think of carpal tunnel syndrome, but cubital tunnel syndrome comes in a close second — it affects between ~2% and ~6% of the general population.

With cubital tunnel syndrome, your ulnar nerve is pinched or compressed in your elbow, typically around the area that we refer to as the funny bone, which is the pointy part of the inside of your elbow (your medial epicondyle). As we discussed, there is no funny bone — the name stems from the shock-like sensations you get when you hit the inside of your elbow where your ulnar nerve is located close to the surface. 

This nerve travels from your neck, through the cubital tunnel in your elbow, and into your hand, where it provides sensation for your pinkie finger and the outside half of your ring finger. Along with providing sensation in your hand, your ulnar nerve also controls small muscles in your hands, as well as muscles in your forearms.

With cubital tunnel syndrome, the tunnel, which is made up of muscle, ligament, and bone, becomes inflamed, crowding the nerve and leading to symptoms. Cubital tunnel syndrome can also develop due to nerve gliding issues inside your elbow.

Treating cubital tunnel syndrome conservatively

In many cases, we can successfully manage cubital tunnel syndrome through conservative therapies, such as:

• Bracing your arm at night to keep your elbow straight
• Refraining from placing pressure on your elbow
• Taking anti-inflammatory medications
• Opting for oral steroids
• Nerve gliding exercises

These steps work well to reduce inflammation in the tissues that press against your ulnar nerve. 

Releasing your ulnar nerve through surgery

For patients who don’t respond to conservative treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome, our next step is to relieve the compression through surgery.

To figure out which approach is best, Dr. Mesiwala analyzes the nerve entrapment to determine whether to make the cubital tunnel larger by releasing the ligament “roof,” or by relocating the ulnar nerve to an area where it glides better in your elbow.

In either case, Dr. Mesiwala performs this nerve-release procedure on an outpatient basis, which means you can go home the same day. Recovery is fairly easy since we encourage you to use your elbow right away, though with some limitations for a few weeks.

It’s difficult for us to say here whether you might benefit from nerve release surgery for your cubital tunnel syndrome, so we invite you to come in and sit down with Dr. Mesiwala for a consultation.

To get that ball rolling, please contact one of our offices in Newport Beach, Marina del Rey, or Rancho Cucamonga, California, today to schedule an appointment.