Cell Phone Elbow, Hmmm…Is this another catchy term coined to feed into what I think is our cultures fascination with new names for the same old stuff? So now let’s add cell phone elbow to our jumbled list of tennis elbows, golfer’s elbows and washer woman’s sprains. How many people do you know who have “tennis elbow” but never played a day of tennis? Cell phone elbow is defined as numbness and tingling of the ring and pinkie fingers caused by nerve damage or impingement from keeping the elbow bent too tightly for too long. According to CNN.com, when cell phone users hold their phones too their ears, they stretch a nerve that extends underneath the funny bone and controls the smallest fingers. When talkers chat for a long time in that position, it “chokes the blood supply to the nerves. It makes the nerves short-circuit. The next thing you know, there’s a tingling in the ring and small finger,” said Dr. Peter J. Evans, the Director of the Hand and Upper Extremity Center at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.
The more traditional medical term for “Cell Phone Elbow” is Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. There are many other causes of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome besides prolonged cell phone use including:
- Direct trauma to the back of the elbow
- Sleeping with elbows in a flexed posture
- Congenital Deformity (Birth Defects)
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Tumors
- Poor positioning during surgeries
- Diabetes
- Chronic Alcoholism
- Renal Disease
The most common symptom for “Cell Phone Elbow” or Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is numbness and tingling in the ring and small fingers, individuals may also experience sharp or aching pain on the inside of the elbow, radiating pain, weakness and loss of dexterity, and atrophy (muscle loss) of the muscles of the hand with clawing of the ring and little fingers.
The first strategy would be to discontinue the activity that is causing the symptoms. For example, if this is occurring while using a cell phone immediately change hands, consider using an earpiece or use my favorite form of communication send a text message at the first sign of numbness and tingling in the digits..:)..LOL. Conservative treatments for more involved cases of “Cell Phone Elbow” or Cubital Tunnel Syndrome include:
- Education regarding sleep positions and protection of nerves from the edges of furniture or other hard surfaces.
- Wearing elbow pads
- Splinting at 45 degrees to rest inflamed nerve
- Modalities such as ultrasound and iontophoresis
- Ergonomic modifications
- Anti-inflammatory as prescribed by your physician
- Nerve gliding exercises to avoid nerve entrapments or adhesions
Occasionally, Cubital Syndrome or “Cell Phone Elbow” can become so bad that conservative treatments are ineffective. In these cases surgery may be required to relieve symptoms. Surgical Interventions include:
- Nerve Decompression
- Epicondylectomy - Removal of the medial epicondyle
- Transposition - Surgically moving the nerve from the place of entrapment
The key to avoiding long-term deficits from Cell Phone Elbow better known as Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is paying attention to your body. If you notice numbness or tingling of your ring finger or small finger or pain at your elbow, immediately change positions. If symptoms persist longer than an hour or two and reoccur frequently consult a physician immediately before symptoms worsen.
