Elbow pain, numbness in fingers
Age: 24
Sex: F
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 122lbs
Race: caucasian
Duration of complaint: unsure when it started
Location (Geographic and on body): Canada, elbow and arm
Any existing relevant medical issues (if any): anemia
Current medications (if any): Zoloft
Include a photo if relevant (skin condition for example): not relevant
Sometimes I experience pain when pressure is applied to my left elbow. I notice this more specifically if I am laying in bed propped up on my elbow or if I try to use my elbow to get up from laying down. An intense shooting pain will occur in the elbow. On this same side, I experience numbness in my pinky and ring finger when the elbow is bent for extended periods of time (like when laying propped on the elbow). I also experience pain in the elbow when I extend it, pushing the elbow inwards with the forearm facing upwards.
It's probably relevant to mention, in January 2017, I slipped on ice and fell on this elbow. It was a hard enough fall that I saw stars. I never saw a doctor, and continued to have pain when propping up on occasion I fell AGAIN on the ice in November 2018 and landed on the same elbow. I had it x-rayed and they concluded there were no breaks. However, the x-rays performed were limited because I was 22 weeks pregnant at the time.
Posted Jul 10, 2019, 5:11 AM UTC
Hand surgeon here:
Cubital tunnel syndrome
very common and thankfully treatable
avoid elbow flexion
wear an elbow pad flipped around backward while you sleep to prevent flexing your elbow. If you do this it will work. If you don't, obviously, it won't.
Avoid lying in bed with your elbows flexed for extended periods of time. Over time, doing this over and over will damage your nerve. In general good addvice: don't damage nerves as they don't heal well.
Thank you so much!