When one of the nerves in the arm is struck, compressed or irritated, the result is a “nerve compression syndrome” or “entrapment neuropathy.” The most common nerve compression syndromes are (in order of occurrence): carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, and radial tunnel syndrome.

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With so many things that can go wrong, it's amazing the human body even works at all! I've never even heard of radial tunnel syndrome.

I had endoscopic carpal tunnel release a week and a half ago. What a difference. No pain, no numbness. Its great! Only problem is I noticed a few days ago my pinky and ring finger going numb off and on to varying degrees of numbness. Last night I wore my brace as I always do and both pinky and ring finger were flat out numb. What is the problem here? Do I have some sort of ulnar nerve damage?

Hi kaseykhristine,

Congrats on having no pain after surgery! Numbness is a common symptom after cubital tunnel surgery, and in many cases it will go away. However, you should definitely consult with your doctor if the numbness doesn't disappear quickly. You should have a follow-up visit scheduled anyway for around 1 week after surgery. Good luck! Please stop back and let us know you are doing.

So I am still having numbness in my pinky and ring finger after my carpal tunnel surgery. It's been two and a half weeks. The surgeon says it could be swelling that is causing the problem. I never had any problems with those fingers till a week after surgery. So what is going on?

Swelling would *not* surprise me. Your wrist was introduced to a lot of trauma, and it won't stay localized to the immediate surgical spot. I wouldn't worry about your new numbness for a few weeks more at a minimum. To give you an idea, I had my Ulnar transposed and released in my elbow and hand. I also had the ring and pinkie pulley's cut to release them from the clawing that resulted due to the Ulnar entrapment(s). My pinkie and ring along with the pad of my palm above the Palmer region, and the heal of my hand is still swollen with odd feelings - Friday was the 7 week anniversary of my surgery. The areas that move the most (joints at the wrist for example) take longer to heal.

On the good side, *most* of the direct pain and discomfort from straightening and folding of my arm is now gone in my elbow. The scar still is a bit sensitive to "light" touch (clothes, gentle touch by someone), but I can press it without much if any discomfort. I still have about 3 mm of swelling on the inside of my elbow from the induced trauma (surgery). Just remember, your body is going through a whole lot to heal. The "fat lady" hasn't sung yet, so keep a positive attitude.