Elbow Update- Latest Doctor’s Report

Met the orthopedic Doctor again yesterday. Long story short is he gave me the go ahead for the next phase of recovery. I can start using the arm actively. The weight regimen starts out real light and gradually increases the weight each month by about 5 pounds or so. The idea is to condition the tendon to the stress of active supination.

I told him about the elbow issues over the weekend and he immediately felt the ulnar nerve was the culprit. He said scar tissue wasn’t likely this far out from the surgery. He explained that the nerve passes through an opening in the bone as it traverses the elbow joint, call the Cubital Tunnel. When the elbow is bent, that tunnel closes up by almost 40%. If the nerve get inflamed or irritated, then that becomes significant as a further irritant on the nerve.

So he gave me 2 remedies to use in tandem. One is to sleep with a pillow on my elbow on the inside portion of the arm. The idea is to prevent it from bending while sleeping at night because this is a major source of irritation for the nerve since most people (myself included) sleep with their arm bent. By preventing that, I’d be giving the nerve extra time to heal.

The second remedy is a stretching regimen that he wants me to perform 5 times a day for minutes each. The stretch is to place my hand and forearm flat against a wall and then lean towards the wall. This stretch should help with the gliding of the ulnar nerve as well as help with my range of motion when bending my arm.

Next visit in 2 months time. By then, I hope to be as good as new.