Have Pain In Arm From The Elbow Down To Finger

Brief Answer:
Ulnar entrapment neuropathy at the elbow

Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon.

Sorry, you're feeling this discomfort. The description of your symptoms of PAIN from the elbow as well as NUMBNESS and perhaps TINGLING (feeling of being asleep) that radiates to the finger tips (primarily 4th and 5th digits by any chance?) is a classic textbook description of what happens when the ULNAR NERVE GETS TRAPPED at the elbow.

PHYSICAL OR OCCUPATIONAL therapy would be the treatment by first intention that I would use in your case since there is a good chance that the condition could spontaneously resolve or with some mild manipulation, massage, or other movements of the forearm and elbow get released. I would leave it for the professionals that know the precise anatomy of the ulnar nerve through the cubital tunnel (the BEND of the elbow) to do the manipulations. If you just have a friend or a masseuse who is not familiar with exact anatomic location of this nerve or the possible variations of normal that you may possess based on an examination get involved then, you could make things more complicated. But if this all just happened recently then, there's a good chance things can be improved if you can address it quickly.

A good neurological examination and history can tell whether or not this is exactly the problem or if there is some funky mimicker making us believe that the ulnar nerve is to blame but frankly, there ain't a whole lot of things in the elbow RADIATING or going down to the fingertips that can mimic this picture except for the ULNAR NERVE being trapped. Take a look at this resource link which I think gives a good visual of what is likely going on:

https://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=0000e-63fd-401c-84ac-a87b9baa633f

I do not believe it is absolutely necessary to get an EMG or electrical study on this type of picture since it is so classic unless the doctor's examination really is ambivalent as to what it could be. Since this is not going to result in any serious damage or harm over the course of a few weeks that physical therapy would take to work its magic I would initially send my patients for a good trial of therapy and see if things got better. I would also prescribe simple analgesics such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen to see if that stabilizes the pain. If those don't quite work I would move on to things such as GABAPENTIN, PREGABALIN, or NORTRIPTYLINE which are good agents that specifically work on NEUROPATHIC pain (pain derived from nerve irritation or compression). Then, if these medications didn't really help and physical therapy didn't really help....OR...if the patient began experiencing sudden onset of weakness in muscle strength in the forearm, wrist, fingers, or hand (grip strength, etc.) then, I would call in the big guns of the electrical type (EMG/NCV) and get a solid diagnosis. I might get an imaging study of the elbow (either CT/MRI or perhaps ULTRASOUND) and then, if ongoing aggressive physical therapy still failed to yield improvements....I would call my local friendly neighborhood SPIDER SURGEON......HA! XXXXXXX Parker's cousin.....The spidey Surgeon....either an orthopedist or neurosurgeon that specializes in peripheral nerve entrapments and let them get in there and take care of the problem by unsnagging the nerve and fixing things by shaving down bony prominences or other calcifications that may have developed to repetitive use injuries or other traumas.

So that's your story and I'm stickin' to it young lady. Ulnar entrapment at the elbow which is right in the beginning stages of evolution. It may be amenable to very conservative forms of treatment to include symptomatic analgesia and PHYSICAL/OCCUPATIONAL therapy which could be expanded to more invasive and definitive forms of correcting the cubital tunnel to try and make sure that the problem doesn't recur. But if after all is said and done....if surgery does become an option I would ask for a surgeon (one with a great SPIDEY SENSE! HAHA!) who specializes and is good at MINIMALLY INVASIVE PROCEDURES. That is is the big buzz word these days and it is infinitely preferable to do that type of surgery rather than a conventional open procedure or any type of transpositional surgery where they flip flop nerves somehow...I've not seen great numbers of successes doing such fancy things.....the body is simple...it was designed extremely well...no surgeon on the planet can improve the design....but they can sure can muck it up without trying! LOLOLOL! Keep it simple by just doing a release procedure and then, filing down or removing the obstructive bony or calcified pieces in the elbow that weren't there when you were a kid...and BINGO.....good as new! Make sense?

If I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors by CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you feel it is deserving? I am definitely interested in getting updated information on your condition if you'd care to drop me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi and let me know how things turned out.

You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns.

CHEERS!

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