At your initial visit, your orthopedic specialist will examine your hand, wrist, and elbow and gather information about your symptoms, medical history, and general health. They may also ask about your work, your activities, and what medications you are taking.

Depending on your symptoms, additional diagnostic tests may be needed. These can include:

• Electromyography (EMG)
• Nerve conduction study (NCS)
• MRI
• Ultrasound
• MR neurography

As is the case with many orthopedic issues, your doctor may recommend conservative, non-surgical treatments first to see how your nerve entrapment responds.

Depending on the severity of your symptoms, your physician may recommend you:

• Attend occupational therapy to strengthen the ligaments and tendons in the hands and elbows.
• Take drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonprescription pain relievers to help reduce pain and inflammation.
• Use splints to help immobilize the elbow.
• Avoid activities that require you to keep your arm bent for long periods of time.
• Avoid leaning on your elbow or putting pressure on the inside of your arm.
• Keep your elbow straight at night when you’re sleeping. You can wrap a towel around your straight elbow or wear a backward elbow pad.

For more serious cases that do not respond to physical therapy or other conservative measures, your doctor may recommend ulnar relief surgery. During this surgery, your doctor may make an incision at either the elbow or the wrist.

• An incision at the elbow allows the ulnar nerve to be decompressed surgically if conservative measures fail to resolve the symptoms or if evidence of advanced nerve compression is found.
• An incision at the wrist is allows your surgeon to access the ulnar nerve if it’s pinched there. Releasing the entrapment can alleviate symptoms.