Hi, I'm new to this forum and was hoping to get some advice about my Cubital Tunnel Syndrome issues.
In March 2009, I started waking up with my ring finger and pinkies numb. Within 10-15 seconds everything was back to normal. I have never had any pain anywhere, anytime, and never any problems during the day with numbness. After doing some research I saw my primary Dr. and told him I thought it was CuTS, which he had never heard of. He then referred me to a hand specialist in August 2009 and I was then diagnosed with CuTS. I was told to stop sleeping with my arms bent under the pillow and try to splint the arms. I did this for some time but because my splints were homemade and not too good, plus the fact that this problem had never gotten any worse, splinting went wayside.
Luckily now, 14 months after my first symptoms, nothing has changed. When I wake up, I randomly have one, both, or no hands (fingers) numb, obviously having to do with the way I slept prior to waking. This then almost immediately goes away within seconds. Never any pain.
As of now, my opinion is that it's just more of an annoyance then anything. So, I guess what I'm asking is at what point do I start getting really concerned about it? I don't want to regret one day that I wasn't proactive when I should have been and therefore cause long term nerve damage. Should I have the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude or should I be doing something now? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks, Alan

Hi Alan and welcome!

If you aren't experiencing any pain or long lasting symptoms, I don't think you need to rush into anything but keep aware of what your body is telling you. I lived with off and on symptoms in my hands/wrists for years before all of a sudden, I had pain from my elbow down. After a week, I went to my family doc. Spent another 2 weeks on NSAIDS before being referred for an EMG/NCS (not fun) and then to a surgeon. My pain was not severe but persistent and the tingling was worrisome.

Splints are a good idea if you sleep with your arms up at night. Keep in mind that you could also have a combination Carpal (CTS)/CuTS/Guyon Canal Syndrome (GCS), which is what I have. If it's your ring and pinkie fingers, that could be CuTS/GCS or both. If it's the other 3 fingers, that's more carpal related. You can also try some over the counter wrist splints at night and see if there's any improvement from those since those will help with CTS and GCS.

As little as people hear about CuTS, they hear about GCS even less. Guyon's Canal is the space the ulnar nerve travels through in your wrist, very similar to carpal tunnel. I've now had CTS/CuTS/GCS surgery on my right arm and just had CTS/GCS on the left in April. 7 months later, my right arm is finally doing well and I expect a really easy recovery on the left.

Long term - just be aware of your body and any changes you see happening. If the symptoms get worse, I'd recommend getting an EMG/NCS. Until then, relax and hope it doesn't get worse!