The ulnar nerve is a major nerve that runs down through your arm and into your hand. It affects functions like squeezing and grasping things.
Injuries to the ulnar nerve can be painful and limiting. They usually affect athletes and people who perform repetitive motions with their hands, wrists, and forearms.
What Is the Ulnar Nerve?
If you’ve ever hit your elbow and experienced a radiating, tingly feeling, chances are good that you’ve hit your ulnar nerve.
The ulnar nerve is also known as your funny bone nerve. It runs down from your neck and upper spine all the way down to your hand. It travels along your elbow and down your forearm.
What Does the Ulnar Nerve Do?
The ulnar nerve function is to control movement (motor control). It carries signals from the brain that activate the muscles in your forearms, wrist, and hand. It specifically controls and gives feeling to your pinky and ring fingers.
The ulnar nerve works with other nerves and muscles to help you perform small tasks that you might not even think much about. Writing with a pen or pencil, sewing, tying shoelaces, and fastening buttons are all fine motor skills that you need your ulnar nerve for.
The ulnar nerve is one of five main nerves that are intertwined in an area of your neck and shoulder called the brachial plexus. These nerves all make their way through different parts of your shoulder and arm, where they serve their own specific functions.
All of these nerves originate from a place in your upper spine called the cervical spine. The place where the nerve begins is called the nerve root, and the nerves are labeled using a combination of letters and numbers indicating the location of the root in your spine. The ulnar nerve is rooted in spinal area C8 to T1.
The other four nerves in this area include the:
Radial nerve. Controls muscles in the forearm, upper arm, elbow, and back of hand. The nerve root is in areas C5 to T1.
Median nerve. Mostly controls the forearms and some parts of the hand. The nerve root is in C6 to T1.
Axillary nerve. Helps provide feeling and movement to the shoulder. Rooted in areas C5 and C6.
Musculocutaneous nerve. Helps to activate and flex muscles in your shoulder, elbow, and upper arm. The nerve root comes from areas C5 to C7.
Where Is the Ulnar Nerve Located?
The feeling in your ulnar nerve comes from its root in your cervical spine. The nerve itself branches out from your brachial plexus. It’s woven behind your collarbone and through your armpit area and the middle of your upper arm. It runs across an area made of tendons and muscle called the arcade of Struthers.
Once it makes its way to your elbow area, it exits an area called the cubital tunnel. It will run across a bony place called the medial epicondyle, also known as your “funny bone”.
In the forearm, it runs alongside one of your two main arm bones: the ulna. The median nerve is close by. Unless you’ve injured your ulnar nerve, most people don’t feel its presence past the elbow. The ulnar nerve travels through an area called Guyon’s canal in the wrist before it reaches the hand.
In the hand, the main nerve pathway branches into smaller sections that extend toward the pinky finger and ring finger areas.
Signs Something Could Be Wrong with Your Ulnar Nerve
People who perform repetitive motions with their arms, like baseball pitchers or typists, are the most likely to get an ulnar nerve injury.
There are some signs and symptoms you can look for to help determine if your ulnar nerve has been affected in this manner:
- Ring and pinky fingers that won’t extend fully (stuck in a claw-like shape)
- Weakness in the hand that seems concentrated around the ring and pinky fingers
- A tingling feeling or loss of feeling in the ring and pinky fingers
- Elbow pain, especially near the tip of the elbow
- Wrist pain
- Numbness in the elbow or wrist
An ulnar nerve injury can be caused by:
- Continuous pressure on the ulnar nerve over a long period of time
- Broken elbow
- Direct injury to the nerve
- Illness that affects the nerves
- Pressure on the nerve or a nearby area that could cause the nerve to shift
- Diabetes
If you’re experiencing any symptoms that cause you pain or discomfort around your ulnar nerve, you should see your doctor. Problems with nerves can be very painful and worsen over time without treatment.
What Conditions Affect the Ulnar Nerve?
A pinched nerve can be synonymous with pain. The ulnar nerve is commonly pinched in two places, the elbow and the wrist. This is also known as ulnar nerve entrapment. Depending on where the pinch occurs, each condition has its own distinctive symptoms.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
The ulnar nerve passes through the cubital tunnel on its way through the elbow. The nerve can become compressed as it runs through. The cubital tunnel is a small area that doesn’t have much padding or soft tissue around it, which can contribute to nerve compression.
It’s not always known exactly why cubital tunnel syndrome happens, but dislocations, cysts, arthritis, and repetitive motion are common culprits.
Cubital tunnel syndrome is not to be confused with carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel affects your median nerve.
Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome
Ulnar tunnel syndrome is also known as Guyon’s canal syndrome. Nerve entrapment at Guyon’s canal in the wrist can result from direct injury to the nerve, joint problems, or abnormalities in the veins.
How Can You Keep the Ulnar Nerve Healthy?
- Avoid placing repeated pressure on the wrists and elbows.
- If you have a desk job, make it a priority to get up, stretch your muscles, and rotate your joints.
- Limit exposure to activities that could cause direct injury to the elbows and wrists.