Home : Biography : Fellowships & Awards : Publications : : Mediation : Useful Links : Contact  
Ulnar nerve release

The ulnar nerve is the nerve that supplies sensation or feeling to your little finger and ring finger. It also supplies all the small muscles of the hands apart from those to the thumbs. The nerve travels around the elbow and is commonly called your 'funny bone'. At this level the nerve travels through a tunnel, which is made of partly bone and partly fibrous tissues around muscles. The nerve can be compressed by these particularly in arthritic elbows but also just by simple build-up of fibrous tissues.

ANAESTHETIC

General or regional anaesthetic.

OPERATIVE PROCEDURE

There will be a scar, which is approximately 6-8cm long over the inner aspect of your elbow. I then cut down onto the nerve and release it from all its retaining structures from the middle aspect of the arm to the middle aspect of your forearm.
This is a picture of an ulnar nerve release, the elbow is opened on its inner aspect and there are two hooks on either side of the fibrous band or Osborne's ligament and at this level you can see a slight narrowing of the nerve which is the longitudinal structure that travels down the middle of the wound.

The wound is stitched and a bulky dressing applied, which you will be able to remove after one week.

RESULTS

The operation is successful however it takes a long time for that success to be evident. Nerves recover at 1mm a day. Recovery can take from six months to a year.

COMPLICATIONS

  1. No improvement of symptoms. The operation is not always successful.
  2. Scar bruising. There are a lot of small blood vessels around this wound and very often there is a lot of bruising around the inner aspect of the arm after the operation.