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Ulnar Nerve / Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Success Story

R

Ryan J

New Member
Hello Everybody,

I wanted to share my success story because reading other people's stories really helped me. A few years ago I was experiencing numbness and tingling in my right pinky after playing piano and lifting weights. Soon after that I was feeling the same sensation in my left pinky as well. I knew nothing about TMS during that time.

I went to a hand surgeon who had me do an EMG / Nerve conduction study. The test showed that I had a slow down in my nerves at both elbows. The doctor was also able to see that I had ulnar subluxation (nerve 'popping' over the medial epicondyle at both my elbows. Medication and hand therapy was not working so the doctor strongly recommended surgery. I decided to go with surgery on my right elbow, ulnar nerve transposition surgery. The surgery seemed to fix my right pinky but the numbness came back after about five months.

During that time I was afraid of playing piano and afraid of lifting weights. I decided to take a break from my two favorite hobbies, but after the six month break my problems reappeared as soon as I started again.

To make a long story short, I have healed because I got over my fear. I decided to lift weights like I normally would and play piano at least 30 minutes a day. At first I would experience the numbness, like I was used to. I used to be afraid that I was damaging my nerves. I just kept training and eventually the problem went away as my fear diminished. Some other things that helped me get over my fear was:

-Reading the TMS books, such as the Divided Mind, The Great Pain Deception, To Be Or Not To Be... Pain-Free.

- I found multiple studies that it is normal for athletes to have ulnar nerve subluxation. It was something like more than 50% of athletes have asymptomatic ulnar subluxation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6704215/#:~:text=Ulnar%20nerve%20instability%20(UNI)%20in,neuropathy%20or%20in%20the%20asymptomatic (Ulnar nerve instability in the cubital tunnel of asymptomatic volunteers).

https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/r...ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8304120/ (Ulnar Nerve Dislocation and Subluxation from the Cubital Tunnel Are Common in College Athletes)

- I went to another hand doctor and even though he isn't a TMS doc, he told me that he is 100% certain there is nothing wrong with my hands, despite the EMG tests. It helps to hear that from a doctor.

I hope this story helps anyone who is having similar issues. For what it's worth I can press 135lbs over my head and bench press 225lbs, which certainly requires movement of the elbow, without any of my previous issues.

-Ryan
 
Hi TG, yes you can post there if you like. I'd also like to thank you for how supportive you've been on this forum. I've seen your responses many times to other people looking for help and they've helped me as well.
 
Ryan J said:
Hi TG, yes you can post there if you like. I'd also like to thank you for how supportive you've been on this forum. I've seen your responses many times to other people looking for help and they've helped me as well.
Click to expand...
You are very welcome!
 
Hi Ryan, did you feel the nerve popping over your elbow with each pushing Set? It realy does feel unplesant when it snaps
 
Hi gx92,

Yes I can feel the nerve popping and I can also see it pop over my elbow in the mirror. Try different arm positions and different depths with range of motion when pressing until it feels more comfortable. I wouldn't take a break at the gym though. Blood flow and confidence that my body was fine helped me the most. In addition to different range of motions, you can also lower the weight to a tolerable level until you feel better.

-Ryan
 
Ryan J said:
Hi gx92,

Yes I can feel the nerve popping and I can also see it pop over my elbow in the mirror. Try different arm positions and different depths with range of motion when pressing until it feels more comfortable. I wouldn't take a break at the gym though. Blood flow and confidence that my body was fine helped me the most. In addition to different range of motions, you can also lower the weight to a tolerable level until you feel better.

-Ryan
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips, so you still got the snapping but the symptoms in hands etc are gone if i did understand right ? Yea im already taking a break since 5 weeks but thinking about goimg back now
 
Yes, I still have the snapping but I don't have any pain symptoms. I'd get back in the gym if I were you, just do lighter weight so that it doesn't hurt that much and work your way up from there. You need to get blood flow to it. My elbow and hands felt worse when I wasn't working out.
 
Ryan J said:
Yes, I still have the snapping but I don't have any pain symptoms. I'd get back in the gym if I were you, just do lighter weight so that it doesn't hurt that much and work your way up from there. You need to get blood flow to it. My elbow and hands felt worse when I wasn't working out.
Click to expand...
Ryan, thanks for this, just to clarify - I thought you had an ulnar nerve transposition surgery? Isn't the whole point of that to fix the subluxation? Was the subluxation not fixed by it? I don't understand
 
lee94 said:
Ryan, thanks for this, just to clarify - I thought you had an ulnar nerve transposition surgery? Isn't the whole point of that to fix the subluxation? Was the subluxation not fixed by it? I don't understand
Click to expand...

Hi Lee,

I had nerve transposition surgery on my right elbow, not my left.

My left elbow still has subluxation and you can see the nerve pop over the bone. I still lift weights to this day (even two years later after my last post) and don't have any issues.

I still play piano everyday for at least an hour as well.

I hope this helps.
 
Ryan J said:
Hi Lee,

I had nerve transposition surgery on my right elbow, not my left.

My left elbow still has subluxation and you can see the nerve pop over the bone. I still lift weights to this day (even two years later after my last post) and don't have any issues.

I still play piano everyday for at least an hour as well.

I hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Hey Ryan I've had ulnar nerve transpositions to both arms and have literally tried everything! Procedures and surgeries and still in pain! What helped with your fear the most ? I've been told basically I'm sol on this .
 
Hi Haley,

Sorry to hear about your issue. The silver lining for your situation is that you've tried everything the doctor's have told you and now all that's left is to get over your fear.

The #1 thing you could do in my opinion is gradually start working out, like lifting weights. Starting with light weight and going heavier as you get used to it. I think by doing this, it convinces your mind and body that you are not made of glass, everything is alright, and you don't have to be fearful. Also getting blood flow to the area helps a lot too. Just so you know, if you decide to lift weights, at the beginning there will be some pain during the exercise. The range you want to be in is tolerable pain. The key word is tolerable. It won't be completely eliminated at first but as time goes on pain will be greatly reduced or eliminated entirely.

Also, because I play piano, I have to be aware of tension in my body. This is very common in all pianists. Some hurt their hands playing but the ones that don't, they make sure they are playing without tension in their hands. I bring this up because a lot of people have desk jobs and type on the computer with a lot of tension in their hands (meaning the muscles are contracting all day long). So another thing to do if you have a desk job and if you use your phone a lot is to try to type with relaxed arms and hands as best as you can (it takes a bit of practice).

Lastly, when I get stressed, my hands start to feel some pain. It's almost funny at how predictable it is. It goes away after I give my mind and body a chance to process what's going on in my life and let myself relax for a bit.

-Ryan
 
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Thank you so much for your reply Ryan I have been dealing with this ten years and have had ulnar nerve transpositions in both arms twice and implant devices ! They told me this scar tissue but I know it's not all mechanical because I've had better times . This is the longest flare I've been in. Also lots of stress around these last two years too . Thank you so much it's been running my life and yes I get symptoms of shocks ,burning , tingling
 
Ryan, when you had the pain was it constant? Mine has been constant for two years and my doctor didna ultrasound and said there is a ton of scar tissue and neromas on my nerve . I have very hyper sensitivity and pain with it every single day . I am trying to stay calm and positive but it's hard to know what I am doing wrong
 
Hi Haley,

Yes the pain would be constant. If I played piano, my hand would have a constant numbness and/or pain for hours or days after. Same thing if I typed on the computer too much. If I didn't use my hands at all the pain would eventually subside but that wasn't practical since I needed to use my hands for everyday activity. I agree with Jan A that it would be helpful if you read some of the TMS books if you haven't already. They will definitely help.

-Ryan
 
Ryan J said:
Hello Everybody,

I wanted to share my success story because reading other people's stories really helped me. A few years ago I was experiencing numbness and tingling in my right pinky after playing piano and lifting weights. Soon after that I was feeling the same sensation in my left pinky as well. I knew nothing about TMS during that time.

I went to a hand surgeon who had me do an EMG / Nerve conduction study. The test showed that I had a slow down in my nerves at both elbows. The doctor was also able to see that I had ulnar subluxation (nerve 'popping' over the medial epicondyle at both my elbows. Medication and hand therapy was not working so the doctor strongly recommended surgery. I decided to go with surgery on my right elbow, ulnar nerve transposition surgery. The surgery seemed to fix my right pinky but the numbness came back after about five months.

During that time I was afraid of playing piano and afraid of lifting weights. I decided to take a break from my two favorite hobbies, but after the six month break my problems reappeared as soon as I started again.

To make a long story short, I have healed because I got over my fear. I decided to lift weights like I normally would and play piano at least 30 minutes a day. At first I would experience the numbness, like I was used to. I used to be afraid that I was damaging my nerves. I just kept training and eventually the problem went away as my fear diminished. Some other things that helped me get over my fear was:

-Reading the TMS books, such as the Divided Mind, The Great Pain Deception, To Be Or Not To Be... Pain-Free.

- I found multiple studies that it is normal for athletes to have ulnar nerve subluxation. It was something like more than 50% of athletes have asymptomatic ulnar subluxation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6704215/#:~:text=Ulnar%20nerve%20instability%20(UNI)%20in,neuropathy%20or%20in%20the%20asymptomatic (Ulnar nerve instability in the cubital tunnel of asymptomatic volunteers).

https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2016150173?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8304120/ (Ulnar Nerve Dislocation and Subluxation from the Cubital Tunnel Are Common in College Athletes)

- I went to another hand doctor and even though he isn't a TMS doc, he told me that he is 100% certain there is nothing wrong with my hands, despite the EMG tests. It helps to hear that from a doctor.

I hope this story helps anyone who is having similar issues. For what it's worth I can press 135lbs over my head and bench press 225lbs, which certainly requires movement of the elbow, without any of my previous issues.

-Ryan
Click to expand...
If you could go back would you do the EMG again?
 
alextrp67 said:
If you could go back would you do the EMG again?
Click to expand...

If I could go back with what I know now, no I wouldn't. The test didn't help me and neither did the surgery. Technically my left elbow was abnormal too with the EMG and it feels fine and I didn't do surgery on my left elbow. Last week I bench pressed 300 lbs and everything feels good. I can feel my nerve pop over my left elbow when I bench press and it feels fine.
 
Ryan J said:
If I could go back with what I know now, no I wouldn't. The test didn't help me and neither did the surgery. Technically my left elbow was abnormal too with the EMG and it feels fine and I didn't do surgery on my left elbow. Last week I bench pressed 300 lbs and everything feels good. I can feel my nerve pop over my left elbow when I bench press and it feels fine.
Click to expand...
Im thinking about the surgery now, its not a pleasent feeling when the nerve is snapping on bench press/shoulder press or any tricep excercise. Got no tingling or numbness, just an agressive snap. I wish i could just accept it and not care, but makes training not fun at all, any tips on how to not care ? :D
 
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gx92 said:
Im thinking about the surgery now, its not a pleasent feeling when the nerve is snapping on bench press/shoulder press or any tricep excercise. Got no tingling or numbness, just an agressive snap. I wish i could just accept it and not care, but makes training not fun at all, any tips on how to not care ? :D
Click to expand...

Hi gx92. Like I said before, I still get nerve 'snapping' in my left elbow because I didn't do the surgery in that one. If it bothers you that much, can you try the exercises with different range of motions and different arm positions? For example, if I do close grip bench press, I can feel my nerve 'snap' in my elbow a lot more. If I do wide grip, it's much less frequent. Like I said before, I still lift weights every week, 3x a week and I don't have any issues.

If you want more research, there are medical articles that determined about half of healthy asymptomatic people have their ulnar nerve snap over their elbow. That might make you feel better.

This study shows most of the people with ulnar nerve subluxation (what you and I have) are asymptomatic:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6704215/#:~:text=Ulnar%20nerve%20instability%20(UNI)%20in,neuropathy%20or%20in%20the%20asymptomatic (Ulnar nerve instability in the cubital tunnel of asymptomatic volunteers - PMC)

This study shows half of healthy elbows have ulnar nerve movement:
https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2016150173?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub 0pubmed

This study shows 76% of male college athletes have hypermobility of the ulnar nerve.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8304120/ (Ulnar Nerve Dislocation and Subluxation from the Cubital Tunnel Are Common in College Athletes - PMC)

How I interpreted these studies is that it's normal to have your nerve 'pop' or 'snap' over your elbow. Even more so if you participate in sports.

I hope this helps.
 
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