There are only a few books in print about cubital tunnel syndrome and the ulnar nerve:

The Ulnar Nerve
by Dan Zlolotow and Vincent Pellegrini

Despite much study devoted to the ulnar nerve, no consensus exists as to how to treat even the most frequent causes of ulnar nerve dysfunction. With a review of the anatomy and pathophysiology, we explore the rationale behind the most common techniques for treating pathology of the ulnar nerve via reflexions by both current thought leaders and emerging voices in the field.

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Cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS) is a repetitive stress injury (RSI) that feels like you hit your funny bone.  CuTS is caused when the ulnar nerve in your arm is irritated, pinched or damaged, typically at the bony point on the elbow.  If left untreated, CuTS can result in extreme pain, surgery or an unusable hand.

Most doctors recommend that patients undergo conservative treatment before rushing to surgery, except in cases of injury or severe CuTS.  Conservative treatment includes wearing a splint to keep your arm straight while sleeping, physical therapy, change in work habits, using tools and technology to reduce repetitive motion, and taking medication to reduce pain.

Read More at Cubital-Tunnel.com

If you talk on your cell phone frequently and experience pain or numbness in your ring & little fingers or your elbow, it’s quite possible that you suffer from cell phone elbow, also known as “Cellbow” or Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (CuTS).  CuTS is a repetitive stress injury (RSI) that feels like you hit your funny bone.  CuTS is caused when the ulnar nerve in your arm is irritated, pinched or damaged, typically at the bony point on the elbow.  If left untreated, CuTS can result in extreme pain, surgery or an unusable hand. 

No doubt you have many questions and concerns and are visiting web sites such as cubital-tunnel.com for answers.  The CuTS FAQ is a great place to start.  And in this article we provide the ten most important things you need to know about Cubital Tunnel Syndrome.

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A new study published in the September 2008 issue of Current Orthopaedic Practice indicates that ulnar nerve transposition surgery often does not provide additional benefit over simple decompression surgery for cell phone elbow, also known as cubital tunnel syndrome.

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I was diagnosed with cubital tunnel syndrome 3 years ago.  My symptoms were considered "moderate": measurable loss of nerve conduction, moderate to severe pain at times, slight numbness, some weakness, but no atrophy.  I had been attempting conservative treatment, including wearing a splint at night, wrist brace during the day, exercises, special computer keyboard and mouse, and pain medication.  But the pain wouldn’t go away, especially while using the computer, which is my job as a software developer.  So my doctor finally decided it was time for surgery, and given that my symptoms were not yet severe, he recommended ulnar decompression surgery.  This article describes my experience with ulnar decompression surgery for cubital tunnel syndrome.

Read More at Cubital-Tunnel.com

Cell phone elbow, also known as cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS), is a serious medical affliction that can result in severe pain and discomfort.  Untreated, CuTS can cause your fingers to curl into your palm, your arm to weaken and atrophy, and eventually you can lose the use of your fingers.  Therefore, if you experience CuTS symptoms for more than a couple weeks, you should see a doctor, preferably one that specializes in arm and nerve surgery.

Given the state of medicine these days, with busy doctors, bureaucratic HMOs and complex injuries, it’s important that you affect your own medical care.  You should conduct your own research about CuTS on the Web, be open and honest and explicit with the doctor about your symptoms and concerns, and be sure to ask lots of questions.

Following are 10 questions you should ask your doctor about your cubital tunnel syndrome.

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Surgery for cell phone elbow is a major operation that requires some preparation by the patient.  Although severe complications are unlikely, it’s important to follow a few key guidelines to ensure your surgery goes well.

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How much does your elbow hurt?

To properly evaluate and diagnose cell phone elbow, also known as cubital tunnel syndrome, a uniform and widely accepted grading scale is required.  Three major scales have been proposed, but none are universally accepted.

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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