General information regarding ulnar nerve entrapment
Ulnar nerve entrapment or ulnar nerve compression syndrome happens when the ulnar nerve in the arm becomes irritated or compacted.
The ulnar nerves is part of 3 main nerves in the arm, it travels from the neck down into the hand and can be confined in several areas.
The ulnar never injury symptoms can happen on any nerve that experiences pressure, it can happen on the elbow, the wrist as well as the fingers.
At times the ulnar nerve can get compressed at the wrist and this begins to affect the collarbone and spinal cord in the neck.
When this occurs it is called as the “cubital tunnel syndrome”. A person can experience a bump and it will have a shock like feeling.
The ulnar nerve entrapment can cause the little finger and the half of the ring finger to experience pain or numbness; this is due to the fact that the ulnar nerve is the one responsible for the little muscles in the hands.
If something bad occurs to the ulnar nerve the fine movements of the hands are affected including some of the bigger muscles in the forearm causing a person to have trouble with their grip.
The main reason for the ulnar nerve entrapment can be due to a number of factors, researchers are saying that it is vulnerable to compression at the elbow and when it is not protected this can lead to pain.
What are the common causes of compression?
Ulnar nerve injury symptoms can be felt when one bends t heir elbow, the ulnar nerve will stretch around the boney ridge of the medial epicondyle.
Once the nerves are irritated due to the fact that the elbow has been bent for long periods of time this can lead to the painful symptoms.
In order to avoid suffering from this, people need to avoid sleeping with their elbows bent; this can only aggravate the symptoms of the ulnar nerve compression.
Some people on the other hand experience a nerve slide from behind the medial epicondyle while their elbow is bent.
This can lead to the sliding back and forth and will irritate the nerve.
In order to avoid this sensation people have to avoid leaning on their elbow for long periods of time.
A direct hit on the elbow can also cause electric shock sensation and numbness in the little and ring fingers.
When suffering from this arm injury prior fracture and dislocations can occur in the elbow area, if not treated well this can lead to bone spurs. Swelling of the elbow joint and cysts near the elbow joint can also occur.
When one is already suffering from these symptoms, it is advisable that they avoid any repetitive or prolonged activities that will require them to bend the elbow or flex to prevent further damage.
Other symptoms of ulnar nerve entrapment will include feelings of falling asleep due to the pressure in the ring finger and the little finger.
Numbness can also occur in the area and these symptoms can come and go until ulnar nerve release surgery is done.