# Tingly Fingers from Ulnar Nerve



## stmartinfan (Feb 12, 2009)

Has anyone every had this happen, where they have had a damaged or pinched ulnar nerve which results in tingling in the ring and little fingers of the hand?  Did it resolve itself or did you end up needing treatment?

When my fingers started tingling a couple of days ago, I thought I might have carpal tunnel.  But a search through some of the excellent health websites informed me that it's the ulnar nerve that affects those two fingers.  It sounds like it's possible to irritate it by how you sleep - arms bent with your hands near your face or under your pillow - or I may have pinched it near my shoulder being overvigorous in a stretching exercise.

Treatment suggestions are ibruprofin for inflamation and trying to sleep with the arm straight.  If it doesn't resolve apparently surgery is sometimes needed to move the nerve if it's pinched somewhere.  If it's pinched too long it can cause the fingers to curl like a claw and affect strength.

I hadn't heard of this before, so curious if anyone's experienced it and how they fared.  It's a weird sensation - not really painful.


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## Fern Modena (Feb 12, 2009)

You're lucky it isn't painful yet.  The worst pain is probably if/when it reaches your forearm, and it hasn't.  

I had problems with my ulnar nerve.  The correct name for what it sounds like you have is _cubital tunnel syndrome_.  To see if in fact you do have this, your best bet would be to go to a neurologist and have him do a nerve conduction test.  This will tell him and you exactly what is wrong, where, and how bad it is (how much of the nerve area is numb among other things).

Do you put your elbow on the table, chairs, etc., and then lean on your hand?  I did, and that's definitely a bad thing.  Also I slept with my arm bent.  You don't even realize you do this.  You can get a brace or something to put on your elbow (on the inside) so you don't bend it in your sleep.

If you need surgery, a hand surgeon would do it.  Many of them now shave off a piece of the elbow, leaving a free path for the nerve rather than doing a nerve transposition.  Recovery is quicker.  I have no residual problem with my elbow, and although it took some time my strength in that area is as good as it always was.

If you want any more information I have a series of bookmarks I accumulated when I was doing research.  Email me (there's a link in my signature line) and I'll be glad to send them to you.

Fern


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## GetawaysRus (Feb 13, 2009)

Yes, you've done your homework correctly.  It is thought that many people sleep with their arms curled up, and that this can cause ulnar nerve irritation.

I had this same problem (past tense - it is much better now).  Paresthesias (tingles) in my pinky and the outer side of my ring finger were waking me at night.  It happened not long after my workplace switched our systems so that I had to spend a very large amount of time typing during the workday.  It was unclear if I was doing it myself during sleep or if it was an ergonomics issue related to all the computer work.

I saw an orthopedist, who recommended vitamin B6 (100 mg per day if I recall correctly) and that I sleep with a towel wrapped around my arm so that I could not flex (bend) my arm very much during sleep.  I used an anti-inflammatory (Motrin) for a brief period.  Also, several ergonomic adjustments were made to my computer work station, including a keyboard wrist rest to support my wrists, a wrist support when using the mouse, elevating my monitor, and an ergonomic keyboard.

The tingles resolved within about a month.  The orthopod suggested that I sleep with the towel for 6 months.  I have not had symptoms in some time now.  I no longer sleep with the towel, but try to keep my arms straight as I am going to sleep.

I found it easiest to use a medium size bath towel, wrap it fairly firmly around my arm, and then use several pieces of blue tape or masking tape to create a "towel tube."  I would slip that on every night on both arms to immobilize the elbow.  It is an odd way to sleep, but it probably did help.


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## Htoo0 (Feb 13, 2009)

I was under the impression carpal tunnel is an irritation of the ulnar nerve but more in the wrist area rather than the elbow or other location. I have lived with the problem since first noticing I have an extremely sensitive "funny bone" at 13. Sometimes it gets bad while other times I hardly notice it. Mine is apparently the result of a car accident when I was 5 or 6. A vertebra in my neck turns to the side, the muscles knot up and the nerve is pulled/pinched. I could have it fused but I'm thinking it's not that bad.   Guess the danger is if it is really bad and left untreated, the nerve can be damaged beyond repair.


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## Fern Modena (Feb 14, 2009)

The ulnar nerve affects the _cubital tunnel_, *not* the carpal tunnel.  The ulnar nerve passes by your elbow ("funny bone") through the cubital tunnel to your hand.  The area of your hand affected is the baby finger and part/most of the ring finger.  If your wrist and/or the other side of your hand has tingles or bad aching, it is most likely carpal tunnel.  Its not cubital.  Those are two different syndromes.  I know; I once had mild carpal, which resolved itself, and cubital tunnel which was resolved with surgery.  

Fern


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## jamstew (Feb 14, 2009)

double post


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## jamstew (Feb 14, 2009)

I've had this off and on for years. Mine is from propping on my elbow while I'm on the computer for hours on end  I do ibuprofen therapy if it really starts bothering me, but I find it more an annoyance than anything else.


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## Fern Modena (Feb 14, 2009)

Believe me, you need to stop propping your elbow NOW.  The tingling is the nerve's reaction to the pressure of your elbow being placed on a hard object so much.  Do it enough and you will cause permanent damage to the nerve.  Its difficult to break a habit like that, but it can be done.  When I'm not actively using my keyboard I drop my hand to my side.  When I sit I try not to put my hands in my lap, either, but to keep them at my sides.

Fern



jamstew said:


> I've had this off and on for years. Mine is from propping on my elbow while I'm on the computer for hours on end  I do ibuprofen therapy if it really starts bothering me, but I find it more an annoyance than anything else.


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## jamstew (Feb 14, 2009)

Fern Modena said:


> Believe me, you need to stop propping your elbow NOW.  The tingling is the nerve's reaction to the pressure of your elbow being placed on a hard object so much.  Do it enough and you will cause permanent damage to the nerve.  Its difficult to break a habit like that, but it can be done.  When I'm not actively using my keyboard I drop my hand to my side.  When I sit I try not to put my hands in my lap, either, but to keep them at my sides.
> 
> Fern



I'm getting much better about it. I think it's a habit I developed pretty much after I retired and started spending a lot more leisure time on the computer than I did when I was working. I don't know that I could ever go "straight arm," but I do try to rest more on my forearm on top of my gel-filled wrist rest.


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## stmartinfan (Feb 14, 2009)

Thanks to some links Fern provided, I'm reading up on the ulnar nerve.  The tingling has diminished, whether from the Advil I'm taking or time.  I do think mine is the result of a stretching exercise I did that resulted in pinching the nerve by muscles up across my shoulder.  Relaxing the muscles with heat in that area also seems to relieve some of the symptoms.  I'm hoping that the inflamation of the nerve will abate.  If not, I'll have to seek medical treatment, but I know they won't do anything until one's tried the time/Advil combination anyway!


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## JimH (Feb 14, 2009)

I had the finger tingling, saw a neurologist, he advised surgery. I asked if I could try a couple of things before opting for surgery. To the neurologist's surprise, I cleared up the problem with:

wearing a wrist brace on the affected wrist at night

and, at work, adopting a wireless headset - I live on the phone and was in the habit of cradling the phone against my left ear to freee my right hand to write. 

Took about a month, no symptom's for over a year now. According to my neurolgist this resolution is highly unusual, he's only seen it twice. May be worth a try. Whatever you do, I concur that you should definitely consult a neurolgist to get an exacat diagnosis. 

Jim


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## Fern Modena (Feb 14, 2009)

I used to work in a radio room, and wore a headset all the time.  In that atmosphere, the best sort of headset was an in the ear model.  Easy, lightweight, and you can concentrate and block out other noise.  If you wear this sort of headset, make sure you clean the earpiece daily with an alcohol wipe.  I shudder when I think that my first few years using such a headset nobody told me this...If you wear an on the ear one instead it doesn't need to be done as often, but if you use it all the time I'd still do it regularly.

Fern


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## TerriJ (Feb 14, 2009)

I may have to try the towel trick.  I wake up with a tingly hand quite a bit, and it is alwasy tucked up by my face.  I had a therapist tell me not to sleep with my hand upwards at all, but it sneaks up there by itself once I fall asleep.  I think she called it an impingement.


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## wegottago (Feb 15, 2009)

getawaysrus - do you then end up sleeping on your back the whole night?  Did you get a "higher" pillow to comensate for your hands not being under your pillow which might have elevated your head a little bit?

I have had tingling in both my whole hands for over a year now.  I was diagnosed with MS but I would like to try this towel method to see if that would help.  I am just so used to sleeping on my sides with my arms bent and under my pillow / covers.  I do take some prescription medicine that does help the tingling.

Thanks.


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## GetawaysRus (Feb 16, 2009)

wegottago said:


> getawaysrus - do you then end up sleeping on your back the whole night?  Did you get a "higher" pillow to comensate for your hands not being under your pillow which might have elevated your head a little bit?
> 
> I have had tingling in both my whole hands for over a year now.  I was diagnosed with MS but I would like to try this towel method to see if that would help.  I am just so used to sleeping on my sides with my arms bent and under my pillow / covers.  I do take some prescription medicine that does help the tingling.
> 
> Thanks.




Tingling in the ENTIRE hand is not going to be simply an ulnar nerve syndrome, since the ulnar nerve deals only with sensation from the pinky and the outer half of the ring finger.  But sleeping with a towel won't harm you if you'd like to try it.  I suppose it's possible that this could be part of your problem.

I'm someone who likes a relatively high and firm pillow.  I didn't make any changes in my pillow when I was sleeping with towels wrapped around my arms.  I did lie on my side with my arms outstretched to fall asleep - I assume that I rolled around in my sleep, but I simply don't know.  The only other effect was that I couldn't hug my wife while wrapped in towels - she missed that.


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