Cubital tunnel surgery
Posted by Dolf Ichtertz on Fri, Jul 18, 2008 @ 06:00 AM
My Surgical Treatment Recommendations for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
For the past 17 years, I have been predominantly performing comprehensive decompression of the ulnar nerve through about a 2-inch incision (larger patients require a slightly larger incision for their own protection) which is placed behind the midline of the inner arm such as to be invisible most of the time. This is done as an outpatient, preferably under a light anesthetic to prevent inadvertent additional problems of the ulnar nerve from administration of a regional anesthetic such as an axillary block.[1] The surgery is done as an outpatient. A lot of bruising occurs about the inner elbow but disappears over a couple of weeks. Regardless of the methodology and surgical treatment, there is a broad range of complaints from people having no pain to others complaining vociferously of pain lasting anywhere from a few weeks to more than six months. No one requires medication for pain in the elbow beyond a few days at most.