Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (ulnar nerve, elbow pain...)

Hey everyone. As the title suggests, I’m dealing with cubital tunnel syndrome—or, to put it simply, issues with my elbow. Basically, it's a condition where the ulnar nerve gets compressed right in the cubital tunnel area due to irritation.

I wanted to start this thread to swap stories and hopefully share some info, since I haven't seen a dedicated discussion on this yet. It seems like doctors—especially younger ones without much mileage under their belts—frequently mistake cubital tunnel syndrome for carpal tunnel syndrome.

To give you some context, over a year ago, I started getting tingling in my ring and pinky fingers on my left hand, which eventually spread into my palm. At first, it was just occasional, but within a week, the tingling became constant. I’ve lost sensation in that area entirely. If I touch something hot, get poked, or cut myself, I feel absolutely nothing. There's also this intense stiffness and numbness in those two fingers. 😲

My primary doctor sent me to a physiatrist and a neurologist. The physiatrist insisted it was carpal tunnel and ordered three rounds of physical therapy. Meanwhile, the neurologist ordered an EMNG, which suggested the issue was actually coming from my cervical spine. After the first round of PT did nothing, the physiatrist ordered an X-ray of my elbow and requested an MRI of my neck along with a follow-up EMNG to check back in with the neurologist.

The second EMNG results were even worse. The elbow X-ray showed bone changes on the medial epicondyle, and the MRI showed some fusion in the vertebrae. The neurologist’s final verdict? The problem is in my neck, all options have been exhausted, and there's no need for further visits. 😠.

The physiatrist tried a second round of therapy, which failed miserably. Halfway through the third round, they finally reviewed the scans again and pivoted, changing the treatment to cover my entire arm because they started suspecting the elbow was the actual culprit.

It honestly feels a bit irresponsible how I had to fight tooth and nail just to get referrals to orthopedic specialists. I had to seek out three different opinions, and every single one of them immediately identified it as cubital tunnel syndrome. They all strongly recommended urgent surgery to perform a decompression and move the ulnar nerve from the elbow into the muscle, especially since the numbness has been constant for over a year now.

I finally saw an orthopedic surgeon at a major hospital in Salt Lake City (Dr. B), who actually volunteered to perform the surgery himself. He examined both my hands and was genuinely shocked by how much the muscles in my left hand had wasted away. I hadn't even realized how much strength I'd lost because I've been trying to protect the arm; after the numbness hits, comes this burning phase with frequent cramping and unbearable pain radiating down from the elbow.

He told me I should take the offer or walk away, because there aren't really any other options. I decided to go through with it, even though I'm not sure if I'll ever get full sensation back in that part of my hand, especially since I spent over a year being bounced around by different clinics.

So, I'm curious: does anyone here have experience with cubital tunnel syndrome? Has anyone undergone this specific surgery? What is the procedure actually like? How long is the recovery period in terms of pain management, physical therapy, and regaining muscle strength? And what does the pre-op process look like?

I'm officially on the schedule and have an appointment with the anesthesiologist, but they haven't given me a concrete date for the surgery yet—just a vague "soon."

In the meantime, please share your experiences. If you dealt with similar symptoms for a long time, how was your recovery? Did you get back to 90% functionality, or was it less?

If there are any orthopedic surgeons or doctors out there reading this, my DMs are open for advice.

Hey there!

I noticed it’s been about six months since you first started this thread. I was wondering if you could give us an update on how everything turned out for you. Did you end up going through with the surgery? And if you did, how would you say it went?

I finally found this thread. 👍

Essentially, I dealt with very similar issues starting around June or July of 2015.

It started with my 4th and 5th fingers on my left hand—just tingling at first. I assumed it was a cervical spine issue, so I tried some alternative therapies, like nerve decompression techniques. They didn't help, and the practitioner eventually told me I needed to see a doctor. By August, I noticed the muscle between my thumb and index finger had completely wasted away. I could barely spread my fingers apart.

After my primary care physician suggested it might be the ulnar nerve, I went in for an evaluation and an EMNG in October. However, they didn't have needle testing available at that facility; they only performed surface studies. Naturally, they failed to pinpoint exactly where the nerve damage was located.

Then came the long wait for a physiatrist, which lasted until January. She recommended physical therapy, an ultrasound, and another EMNG (which finally happened in April). The ultrasound showed absolutely nothing. Physical therapy—which I’ve done ten times now—helped slightly with my grip strength, but it hasn't solved the underlying problem.

The second EMNG, this time using needles, confirmed the damage is located near the elbow, likely due to cubital tunnel syndrome. I just had an X-ray done and am waiting for those results, but without an MRI, we can't be certain of the cause—whether it was a trauma, inflammation, bone spurs, or something else entirely. The wait time for an MRI through my insurance is nearly a year, so I will probably just pay for it privately. They aren't recommending surgery yet because they want me to exhaust all physical therapy options first. Since we finally have a localized diagnosis, we've moved past the initial general exercises to more specific movements tailored to the site of the injury.

In short, it took our "top-tier" medical professionals eight months to diagnose cubital tunnel syndrome. During that entire window, nobody bothered to tell me what activities I should avoid regarding my hand, elbow, or shoulder. If this nerve damage ends up being permanent, I feel like I'll have no one to blame but myself. 🙂

Now, I am seriously considering going straight to surgery. From what I've read online, the procedure is relatively straightforward—either a decompression or a nerve transposition. If the damage isn't irreversible, it could mean the end of these issues for good. If the damage *is* permanent, I think I'll be looking for someone to hold accountable. At the very least, I'd consider legal action against the hospital that lacked the proper equipment to perform a basic needle test, forcing me to wait six months for a follow-up.

/rant