Slightly tingly/numb pinky and ring finger? Ulnar Nerve problems?

[Always Pondering]

I think I may have Ulnar Nerve Entrapment/Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (I assume they're the same thing but I don't know). The symptoms seem to make sense from what I've read online and one of the causes seem to really fit. I know I should probably go see a doctor about this but I want to get a bunch of information from others first (not just from Loveshack) and see if I can treat it with some home remedies for a week or two before I have to go, which hopefully will not be the case.

 

What I feel and symptoms:

• Exactly as I've read online, I only feel the tingly/numbing sensation through my pinky and ring fingers when it happens. This is only my left arm, which is the arm I leaned on (see below).
  
• It tends to happen more if I bend my arm/elbow at a sharp angle like if I'm washing my hair with shampoo.
  
• I don't feel any difference from my elbow up, just my elbow or below.
  
• I don't feel any burning or searing pain yet, just a tingly feeling occasionally.
  

 

What I think happened:

• Last Thursday (7/2/15), I went out with some guys to play poker. For some dumb reason, I decided to lean on my elbow (on the poker table, which wasn't very soft) with my chin resting on the palm of my hand if that makes sense. The fact that this numbing feeling only happened since this day really makes me believe that the pressure was the reason. I was leaning on my elbow about 50-80% of the time I was playing hands so that was a lot of the night. My arm did feel somewhat numb that night but I thought my arm was just falling asleep so I kind of just dismissed it. I'm almost positive that leaning on my elbow like that for such a long period of time and with all that pressure was the reason or at least, one of the biggest reasons. This has never happened to me before. I'm in my early 20's and male, if that matters. I have a desk job but I regularly stretch my hands/arms and type in good posture.
  

 

Anyways, I'm getting kind of scared and decided I should do something about it. I have some questions below that would really help if anyone knows anything about this or if anyone has personally experienced this.

 

Questions:

• Does this eventually "go away" with treatment or will I be stuck with this for the rest of my life?
  
• Am I supposed to be keeping my arm straight as possible or bent at a 90 degree angle? How should I type now at work on my computer? Should I type with my arms completely straight, or?
  
• What recommendations do you have for me and what should I avoid doing?
  
• Are there any stretching exercises or massages I should do to my elbow/arm for this?
  

 

I'm going to do a ton of research to make sure this problem doesn't become one that'll really screw up my arm. I know that I'm going to try wrapping a towel around my elbow/arm tonight when I go to sleep and rest it on an extra pillow. I wish I didn't lean on my elbow like that during poker night but oh well, I made a pretty stupid mistake and I can't change that now.

[mightycpa]

I broke a bone once, a boxer's break. When they set the bone, I got a shot a the elbow, needle pointed towards the hand. It hit a nerve, and for weeks, I felt exactly what you described. Primarily the pinky (most numb) but also the ring finger... pretty numb.

 

At first, if I put my elbow down on a table, it would send a shock up my arm to my hand, and the fingers would go numb again. Or maybe I moved it a little wrong.

 

I kept extending/retracting the elbow and after a few weeks (10-12?), it went away and never returned. I'm not sure, but I suspect you'll have a similar experience as me.

 

Good luck with that. It sucks.