I banged my elbow really hard & I think I have injured my ulnar nerve. How serious is this & what should I do?

Question

5 days ago I banged my arm really, really hard against my bed. My elbow was in constant pain for the first day, and ever since then I have had an extreme tingling sensation down my arm and my pinky finger and ring finger are numb and tingly. When I bend or twist my arm a certain way or put pressure on it, my entire arm hurts very badly. I'm a little concerned that the tingling sensation and pain have lasted for 5 days, I thought it would be better by now. I believe I have injured my ulnar nerve. Is this serious enough where I should call my doctor? Is there anything my doctor can even do or will it go away on its own? Is there anything I should do to make it feel better?

Answer 1

My husband did something similar. It got so bad he lost a lot of his grip strength and couldn't hold a cup of coffee, the phone, etc. It started out like his arm was asleep. He had an ulnar nerve entrapment, and it had to be surgically repaired to release the nerve.Don't worry - it was a simple, quick outpatient same day surgery thing. That was over a year ago, and he still does not have full grip, but it is better. He just waited too long (stubborn). Get it checked - the doc will probably order an EMG to confirm it. Don't put it off too long.