Ulnar NERVE problem?? anyone have this?
loucarabasi
| Posted in General Discussion on
Happy New year to all, I have been a tradesman for 22 years and the body is falling apart. My right arm has this nerve problem just below the elbow. When I swing a hammer or grasped things a certain way. It goes dead (burns)and hurts like a m-fer. Also it hurts when I apply shaving cream to the underside of my chin. Does anyone have this problem? Anything I can do for it? Please, No drugs! Any exercises I can do? Resting it is not an option!!! (mortgage company will not like that)
Thanks for the help, Lou
p.s. should this be in -woodshed tavern-?
Replies
stop shaving...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
2 options I know of: go to an MD have them cut on you/throw chemiclas at it or try a chiropractor. I've used a chiro to put off my carpal tunnell issues among other things pretty well so far.
It's a fairly common problem. Many cases of "tennis elbow" are actually ulnar syndrome.
Mostly you have to get the inflammation down. This may mean rest, braces, NSAIDs, or steroid injections. And there's always surgery.
If it's affecting your work you should get yourself to an ortho or sports doc. Ignoring it won't make it go away.
Chiro fixed mine.
Once had tendo-syno-vitis in both wrists, that took bilateral casting to cure..that sucked.
Your arm thing is sometimes actually in your neck/spine and getting the nerve unpinched will fix ya right up.
If it is tendon sheath pinching at the point of where it crosses a nerve bundle, anti inflams can help short term, removal of the tendon sheath is another option. Mostly rest is the answer, hence the cast applied, it immobilizes the tendons and forces them to relax and stop swelling.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I'd be careful about a chiro and pinched nerves. I went to one he pinched the nerve worse. Your results may vary.
I do have a bone spur on my neck. Asked MD, anything I can do about this, other than removal? Answer: You might twist your head around and around and break off the sharp points. Not quite what I wanted.
Ever see some guys with this black band around the forearm, just below the elbow?
Those things were invented for your problem.
I used a combination of physical therapy, Advil and eventually had a brace made by the physical therapist. When you sleep at night most people tend to bring their arms up to their chest. The brace prevented me from doing this and by keeping my arm extended and allowing the ulnar nerve, which was pinched in the muscle, a chance to free itself. Took a few months but it worked.
What you can also try is wrapping your arm (covering the elbow so you cannot bend it) with a towel and securing it with an ace bandage. This will also prevent you from contracting your arm while you sleep.
Most of all try not to stress it for an extended period, by breaking up the work routine.
Hope this helps.
Get a 14oz stilletto. Fast!
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
You said that you have an ulnar nerve problem and that you have pain just below the elbow. I assume that you are talking about "the funny bone" (nothing funny about it) area where the ulnar nerve passes in the back of the elbow. Often if the ulnar nerve is irritated you can get altered sensation in the 4th and 5th fingers (thumb being the 1st) and along the same inner part of the palm.
One issue is called cubital tunnel syndrome. The nerve can be compressed just distal to the groove or the groove can be a bit shallow and the nerve starts to slip out of the groove as you bend your elbow. Usually it is worse with a bent elbow either briefly or sometimes it takes a sustained position or repetitive bending. Leaning on your elbow with pressure on that area is usually not pleasent either. Try poking your finger in that groove and see if that lights it up. You could have a pinched nerve further up in your neck and that might be part of the problem, but unless you are having some neck pain and the symptoms are radiating down from your neck and shoulder directly to that point on your elbow it is not likely to be just an issue of a pinched nerve in the neck. You can try rotating and sidebending your neck to the same side as your elbow pain. No response. Then try tilting your head back and doing the same. If no response it is much less likely coming from your neck.
Another issue is golfer's elbow or medial epicondylitis which is a tenderness on that big bump on the inner side of your elbow. Most of the muscles that flex your wrist and hand attach there via a tendon. Try poking on that to see if it is the most tender point. Often resisted wrist flexion will provoke it. With your palm face up, make a partial fist. Try to curl your wrist upward towards you while resisting the movemnt with your other hand. If painful this would implicate the tendon attachment Typically you don't get any numbness or tingling with that issue just alot of pain with use.
I would go get checked out by a orthopedic physical therapist or orthopedic surgeon. I would not ignore it or go get my neck cracked by a chiropractor. It sounds like your symptoms are pretty far along (been ignoring it for a while hoping it would go away?) and are not likly to settle down without some form of intervention or at the very least a lot of rest.
I'd be careful of anyone that wants to just give you an injection (cortisone) and then let you go back to beatting up on your arm some more. Quite often they end up worse off in a couple of months.
Just Google those terms and you will get all the info you could ever hope for or e-mail me if you want more info. By the way, I'm a physical therapist.
Good luck!
Dave E.
I started having similar elbow problems a few weeks ago. I had some severe tennis elbow 7 years ago that lasted for a full year. To nip this in the bud, I resheduled all my work until starting the second week in Jan. (I wanted a holiday break after a frantic year, anyway.) Regular icing, and Aleve or some ibuprophen to reduce the swelling. When going back to work, I'll be wearing an air cast elbow brace to take some of the strain off the tendons/elbow.
But, most important, get thee to an orthepedic doc, the sooner the better.
My wife had surgery on her elbow the first of Nov. She'll return to work (nurse) in two more weeks.
It's gotta heal before you can work pain-free again. And even then, depending on the severity of the damage, it might always 'remind' you of its limitations.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Hi Lou
I would see a chiropractor who practices "Active Release Technique" or short A.R.T.
At the same time you should take "Traumeel", a homeopathic drug. Here is the link for you:
http://www.heel.ca/pdf/fact/Traumeel_en.pdf
Best of luck
Martin
I go to an amazing chiropractor but for this kind of injury the only thing that's really worked is accupuncture. When my shoulder was trashed it took accupuncture and a couple of Feldenkreist therapy.
Welcome to the club
I've been through a lot of different remedies. It's a chronic inflamation deal. I'm having very good results with curcumin and fish oil right now but have also used the glucosomine with condroitin regimine and had great luck for years with a maintenance dose of Aleve.
If your in a lot of pain I'd try taking the maximum daily dose of Aleve for a few weeks and bring in some fish oil and curcumin tabs from the health food store and cut back gradually on the Aleve until your just taking it before strenuous activity that affects the problem areas.
Just my two cents
M
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."