Ulnar nerve entrapment treatment
Mild cases of cubital tunnel syndrome often respond to physical therapies such as: Avoidance of undue pressure on the elbow during daily activities. Wearing a protective elbow pad over the “funny bone” during daily activities. Wearing a splint during sleep to prevent over-bending of the elbow.
Education of patients and orthotics may help to relieve symptoms, but in more severe cases surgical release is effective. There is ongoing debate within the profession as to what constitutes the optimum surgical approach. The procedure is associated with some risk of complications, and persistent cases referred for re‐exploration may not respond to surgery 1).
Postsurgical Electrostimulation enhanced muscle reinnervation and functional recovery following surgery for severe cubital tunnel syndrome. It may be a clinically useful adjunct to surgery for severe ulnar neuropathy, in which functional recovery with conventional treatment is often suboptimal 2).
Technique
Understanding the anatomy is crucial for the success of the nerve release. During ulnar nerve release for cubital tunnel syndrome, a motor branch is frequently crossed anteriorly over the ulnar nerve from its medial/ulnar side proximally to the lateral/radial side distally. Little has been noted about this crossing branch in the literature 3)