Cubital tunnel Release -- Surgery/Conservative?

Hi Ravi, welcome to the forum. I'm wondering how the conservative treatment has been going? Is it giving you the relief you are seeking?

I had a traumatic injury to the elbow back in 1996 that required ulnar nerve transposition. I've had a rather good result considering the nerve is damaged. Mine was done by an orthopedist that had experience with ulnar nerve transposition. I have no knowledge about endoscopic/arthroscopic procedure.

That being said, are you sure it's cubital tunnel and not carpal tunnel? Have you had an E.M.G.? That test would help determine exactly where the impingement is.

As I said, I had a traumatic injury to the elbow. I also injured the shoulder so they took care of that first. The delay meant that every time I bent and straightened the elbow, the nerve was rubbing back and forth over the bone and was being shredded. The injury was in March, the ulnar nerve surgery wasn't done until August.

I credit the surgeon AND the physical therapist with the good result that I have. I am very thin and there is not a lot of muscle mass to bury the nerve under. I was in a cast for 8 weeks to give the nerve some time to heal into it's new location. I will not lie, having the cast removed and straightening the elbow for the first time was quite painful! I was started on physical therapy the next day. Massage, while uncomfortable, is what I credit with desensitizing the nerve. I was also given small electric shocks (points) along the nerve to help get it to respond. Ice was rubbed along the scar to minimize it. Alternating heat and ice around the forearm helped with swelling and pain.

The more I use the hand, the more irritated the nerve gets. I get an 'ache' in the forearm. Ice usually relieves it. I still have numbness, tingling and burning sensation but that is because the nerve is permanently damaged. The EMG was something like 23% residual nerve function. Also, if I place my forearm on something cold, my brain reads it as wet. Hot is still hot, thank goodness!

I have full use of all of my fingers, including the pinky and ring finger. Rather useful for all of this typing!

Some here have had rather disappointing results. Please understand that the folks that had good results have no use for a chronic pain forum. What you may see here may appear one sided. Ask your surgeon who he will be sending you to for physical therapy after the surgery. Go and see the facility. Talk with the therapist before the surgery. It may help you make an informed decision as the therapist will have seen others from the same surgeon. They won't be able to give you specifics, but a general idea.

Mine is cubital not carpal

I am seeing Hand Specialist, already met 2 surgeons. 1 mentioned transposition & other mentioned endoscopic.

Yes I can move my finger & able to do all activities. But my pinky & ring finger is still numb and now feeling some pain also. What should I do?

I would get a third opinion since you have seen 2 drs that each have different recommendations.

Only you can make the decision about whether you feel comfortable having surgery. Make a list of questions you may have & discuss thr questions with your dr.. I would not rely on individuals opinions when it comes to surgery, none of us are drs & we are not qualified to tell you whether you need surgery or not, this is strictly between you & the dr.

Good luck.

Rav, every case is different so there is no way to answer that question. Something to consider is if you go back to where your patents live for medical care, do they have access to drs they know about or would you be getting drs they know nothing about? Regardless, I would still get another opinion since the 2 drs do not agree. You really need a tie breaker in there for your own peace of mind. Make sure whoever you chose is not affiliated with any of the drs you have already seen too.

Good luck.

There is no way to predict what will happen. I would be more encouraged that its not getting any worse with the exercises you have been doing for this. Thats about right to get in with a specialist on the time frame.

Hi, i had some therapy for carpal tunnel, called cold laser therapy. I was sure I was headed for surgery, but it did the trick. No idea if they use it for cubutial tunnel as well, but there is pretty much zero risk to the therapy, it's not at all painful or even uncomfortable. Basically the therapist held a device that liiked kind of like a flashlight on my wrist for a few seconds and that was it. It would be worth asking about.