If your elbow aches, or your ring and little fingers tingle or feel numb, then you may have “cell phone elbow” or “cellbow.”  Orthopedic doctors report a surge of cellbow cases in which patients pinch or damage the ulnar nerve in their arm by bending their elbows too tightly for too long.

When cell phone users hold their small phone to their ears, they stretch the nerve that runs from the neck, through the shoulder, around the elbow and into the small fingers in the hand.  When people talk for a long time in this position, it “chokes the blood supply to the nerves.  It makes the nerves short-circuit.  The next thing you know, there’s tingling in the ring and small finger,” said Dr. Peter J. Evans, Director of the Hand and Upper Extremity Center at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.  Though the nerves are designed to stretch, it’s not normal for the nerve to be stretched this way for hours.

The official name for this affliction is cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS), which is a repetitive stress injury (RSI) that can result in moderate to severe pain and numbness in the elbow and ring & little fingers.  Untreated, CuTS can result in extreme pain, surgery or an unusable hand.  The problem occurs where the ulnar nerve passes around the elbow.  The nerve rests in a groove called the cubital tunnel tucked behind the bony point on the elbow.  Repeated stretching or hitting this nerve results in numbness, shocks and pain, similar to what you feel when you hit your “funny bone.”

When you experience these symptoms, the advice is simple:  Switch the hand you use to hold your phone, before it gets worse.  If you wait too long, your hand may become weak so that you can no longer grip items, open jars, or even write or type on the computer.

“It’s like anything else, any sporting activity,” said Dr. Leon Benson, an orthopedic surgeon and spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.  “You can hit balls at the driving range — just don’t hit 300 of them, because you’ll be sore.  So common sense would dictate not to talk on the phone for hours if your small and ring fingers go numb.”

For more information, you may wish to visit our cubital tunnel forums where you can share your experiences, ask questions and get answers about your condition.

Story at CNN