One of the most popular posts on my blog is about the Ulnar Nerve Transposition Surgery I had almost 4 years ago. I thought I would give a quick update on the status. Today, my arm still gets tired really quick and I often have tightness and tingling in my fingers. The most interesting is if I put pressure on my elbow area it gets a warm hot feeling to it. The scar is long and nasty looking and often pinkish. However, on the upside the dull aching pain I had is gone.
The doctor did tell me it would take about 5-6 years for the nerve to repair itself. If I had to do it over again I would do more research.
This just popped up on my reader wall. I am about to have my second Ulnar Nerve Transposition surgery. The first one, in July 2007, worked for about 4 years (from extreme pain to no pain or numbness) then this summer I smacked my elbow and apparently knocked my ulnar nerve loose. I’m back to extreme pain, numbness, loss of strength. I’ve been through all the rigmarole of non surgical treatment to make the decision to re-operate; this time moving the nerve towards the front of my elbow instead of remaining near the back. I too have a 6-7 inch scar, but it’s quite pretty and not nasty at all (my stitches were stunning), and barely noticeable. The new procedure uses about a 1 inch opening. Got to love new technology.
I had transposition / decompression surgery done on my left arm and carpal tunnel release surgery done on my left hand at the same time on 3-7-2013. As of today 4-6-2013 the pain is still horrible especially in the morning and evening. The swelling is still so bad that you can’t see my knuckles at all and I have a big knot on my elbow. My doctor keeps telling me everything is ok but he’s also a workman’s comp doctor and doesn’t listen to anything you tell him. He tries to tell you how you feel and doesn’t really care how much pain your in. Never again will I use a workers comp doctor ( there’s a reason they can’t make it on there own ). All I can do now is pray and hope it gets better, but I still don’t know if it was worth all the pain I’m going through. I really think something is messed up but the doctor doesn’t want to admit it and I don’t think (mentally or physically)I could put myself through this again. Very few people have had any type of luck with this surgery at all and are in worse pain now. I wish I wouldn’t have had it done but now it’s too late (big mistake). Think About It!!!!!!!!!
I went thru 2 years of bullshitting around with multiple drs pain meds nerve meds etc. Dont take no for an answer. Keep pushing and be in uour drs wheelhouse. Its your body. I f you dont fight you will lose your way of life to pain. Good luck
I was told yesterday that I need to have this done to my arm . I am really scared to have it done i am a massage therapist and I really need to know if my arm is going to be ok if I do this and how long I will be out if I do do it there is nothing like the pain I am feeling in my arm is the pain worse after the surgey your is it 100% pain free after .
I had a car accident in March 2003, the airbag jolted my arm into the car window and i was told i needed ulnar nerve transposition surgery. I had the surgery in August 2003 and its now 2012 and I have no relief, never did. I shouldve left it alone. Please dont do it because most people say you have the same if not worse symptoms!! I I am also a massage therapist and am much weaker now in that arm. Also my grandma had it last year and still has pain and had trouble healing!! DO NOT DO IT!! My recommendation (cold laser therapy) ask about it, its non invasive and painless.
Ok so i just had this surgery done on March 27… I am still on my pain meds and it still to now hurts pretty bad when touched. I can move my fingers good..but cant grab things.. I cant put my arm straight. I am allowed to try to move it back and fourth and suppost to start theropy on the 24th. I go back sometime the first week in may to see the doctor. However two weeks after surgery I had the splint taken off and very little brusing.. yes there was some and the scar is going to be bad. i also at the same time had to debree(cant spell sorry) the tendon on the other side of the elbow too..so that could be causing some of the pain…. The surgery is hopefully going to be helpfull in the long run
I had this surgery done on July 12 2012, i’m 6 days post surgery. It was a bit painful when i woke up in the recovery room and the nurses took care of that. I only took my pain pills for the first day and even then not every 4 hours. I haven’t had a pain pill in 3 days. I get the little twangs that says you cannot use me that much yet. but the pain i was in before is diminished, yes my pinky and palm of left hand is still not 100%, I have a gauzy feeling in places (numbness w/o pain).. it takes the nerve 1 day to grow 1 mm in a healthy non smoking 20 yr old. there’s about 400 to 450 mm of ulnar nerve so it is going to take at least a year for the nerve to repair and regrow. I’m also not 20 anymore.. unless you wanna count the 26 years of experience i have past that
my ulnar nerve transposition was placed to inner part of elbow and fascia was fashioned to create channel for nerve. They didn’t remove my muscles from the bone to re route. It has a success rate almost of the more invasive type.
i’m also bulky bandaged from just below shoulder to wrist. No cast, though.
No, I gt surgery8/6/2012 and right now 4/24 2013 I am on here asking why am I still in painand swollen and I think there is still a stitch in my arm after going back to get out stitches they didn’t get before. I would never recommand this surgery.
Hi, I am not able to make an appointment with my surgeon because he is on holiday now and I do not know what to do.
I had submuscular transposition of the ulnar nerve on 31st march, on Tuesday 27th April I had the cast removed and today I just noticed that the nerve is still coming out of its groove at the elbow when I open and close my arm. I thought that they move the nerve under the muscle but it is popping exactly where it was before I had the surgery. Is this normal for the nerve to still be popping out of its groove in the same place?
Thanks for your time
YES this is normal. The best thing for you to do is ask the doctor about doing physical therapy. Basically you’re scar tissue is catching the nerve (this is NORMAL). Hopefully if you see a GOOD therapist they will give you exercises, which is called NERVE GLIDES. These will fix it right up!
It sounds as if, unfortunately!, most of you have NOT had good results with this type of surgery. I had my left arm done in Dec,2009 and had immediate relief of pain, numbness and swelling once the immediate surgery trauma subsided. I don’t know if it’s the surgeon or if it was just me in particular. I have never had issues with the arm, hand numbness or elbow and am very happy with the results. My surgical scar is almost invisible, to the point where I have to look hard for it. I am having the right arm done in a couple weeks using the same surgeon. I did tons of research in the surgical procedure, picked the best surgeon I could afford, diligently did rehab, exercises and was 100% committed to the process.
May I ask who your surgeon was? I was told I need this surgery yesterday. So far I’ve just got a numb pinky finger and a little nerve pain down my right arm from the elbow. I am not sure how to find the best surgeon in my area, and the odds of success don’t sound very good for having the surgery. My surgeon didn’t mention any rehab or pt following surgery.
Thanks!
Mines either
Hmm.. i find it strange none of you have felt relief with the surgery. I play college baseball and i have already had two ulnar nerve surgeries. SO EVERYONE KNOWS, THE ULNAR NERVE IS PUT UNDER THE SUBCUTANEOUS MUSCLE (basically the first layer of muscle). This is what makes it so easy to “pop” back out. To be honest for you all though, the main reason you still have pain is because of scar tissue attaching to the surgical site. There are many types of therapy that can help and i would be happy to share them with you. But to the point, if you want the best of the best to do this surgery.. you should really look in to coming over to Wichita, KS. With Dr. Harry Morris being one of the top surgeons here in town, he is probably one of the best Ulnar Nerve surgeons in the US (besides Dr. Andrews and Dr. Jobe of course). If any body needs the therapy workouts i will be happy to post the website!
About me: College baseball player, who has had 2 Ulnar Nerve surgeries in the last 2 years. I am now headed down to Florida to see Dr. Andrews because my nerve has to be moved to the deepest part of the muscle (they remove some of you’re forearm muscle and place the nerve there, one of the worst surgeries you can get!). Also i may have torn my UCL or LCL, so we will find that out!
Jerred, I had Ulnar Nerve Transposition done about a 3 weeks ago. Have my one month check up next week. Hoping the doctor sends me for P.T. because I am starting to lose some strength in my hand from not using it. Was told not to lift anything for the first week and now can lift 5 lbs. with my hand but it tires easily. Would really like to get your opinion on post surgical therapy and what exercises should be done. My never was moved from it’s normal spot up higher so I could still bend my elbow when sleeping. Any suggestions on sites for therapy would be appreciated. Thanks and good luck on all your surgeries.
Jerred, do you mean Dr. Andrews in Florida???? Very important question please get back to me if you can
I found out I will need ulnar nerve surgery in a couple months! (kinda scared) I have been diagnosed with TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) in my right arm, so I am getting botox injections to prevent surgery on that. I have a detached tendon in my wrist as well as a torn ligament along with carpel tunnel & ganglion (don’t think much else could be wrong!). So Dr said he would also “fix” my ulnar while he is taking care of everything else. I have been dealing with pain/numbness/aching/blah….for the last 3 years (work comp) . I’ve done every option there is to prevent surgery, including nerve glides, but that only made things worse (more pain shooting up my arm).
I am hoping this will be the last step to live a normal life again and be able to use my arm/hand again like a normal person. I’m glad it worked for some, but worried about those that had a bad experience. The Dr has been doing this for 40+ years (hopefully I’ll be one of the good ones). He told me I’d be in a cast for 3 weeks, then work on PT and getting back to work (call center) . Right now I am just looking up as much as I can to get informed – thank you for posting your stories…
Wendy I am curious to see how your situation is going. I just had submuscular transposition of the ulnar nerve
I also have a desk job major typing and mouse work. I also play the drums and have been diagnosed with tos
over 2 years I have dealt with pain but only 1 yr with elbow but 2 years ago I scrolled on mouse at work and
felt something pull in right pointer finger and swelled and had pain ever since no luck with work because I have too many other factors so anyway surgery 3 wks ago and 3 wks have to go back to work not sure how typing this is extremely painful also do you have any pain in thumb or pointer finger
I had an ulnar nerve transposition in Jan 2012…all was well until about a month ago when I started having numbness, tingling and cramping. Saw two orthopedic surgeons, one said should have surgery again the other said it takes 18 -24 months for the symptoms to go away. What were others expirences? Debating on another opinion!
i had ulnar surgery 24 mos ago. it has never been the same. also had acdf c5-c-6 surgery 5 mos. ago. the pain in my arm is brutal. i have no use of my arm. i would not rec this surgery . was told that i have bad tendonitis and cubital tunnel synd again. try to avoid the is surgery at all costs.
I had torn my ulna nerve. In November 2011 they had to go in and repair the nerve nd reposition it. Today. Dec 2012. I am having the pain in my shoulder again. Nd the numbness nd tingling in my fingers. Also have a lot of pain in my elbow. Could I have torn the ulna nerve a second time??????? Any input would be great. Thanks
I had an ulnar nerve transposition in 2005 and I’ve had no pain in my arm whatsoever. I had a really good doctor and physical therapist. The people suggesting others not have the surgery probably didn’t have very good doctors.
Who was your surgeon, if you could please tell me. I am scared to death to have this surgery after reading some of these horror stories! Thanks. Joy
I had ulnar nerve transposition surgery and also the procedure to address flexor tendon (golfers elbow) on Jan 4th. I was in terrible pain beforehand and exhausted all non surgical options over a year’s time with my regular ortho doc – who, in hindsight, did not treat me properly. When it got so bad i was unable to bend my right (dominant) arm, surgery was the last resort. I’ve never had any major procedure before and was nervous. So i wanted the best – and I got him! Dr. Robert Hotchkiss is the top elbow specialist at HSS (Hospital for Special Surgery) in NYC, which is the #1 orthopedic hospital in the US. Professional athletes get treated there. In fact, my doc performed the exact same procedure on a NY Giant the same day he operated on me ( he couldn’t tell me who of course). He has done hundreds of these procedures. That’s the caliber of doc you want, especially when there’s a nerve involved. But be prepared to pay for it. Surgeons at HSS don’t take insurance (but the hospital does). I have good insurance, but his fees were 100% out of my pocket. Ouch. But I decided it was worth it to get use of my right arm back.
Within a week of the bandages coming off, I had about 95% of my range of motion back. Amazing. The pain has not been that bad overall. Only took painkillers a few days (and they just made me sick). I have been wearing a wrist brace for 4 weeks now, with a few more weeks to go. Not allowed to lift anything heavier than a dinner plate. This is all to allow the nerve to get settled in its new home – because bending the wrist fires up the ulnar nerve.
I still have some tightness, numbness and discomfort/pain around the incision area and was concerned I may not be progressing normally (I’m a quick healer, but then I’ve never had any surgery before), and told my doc about it in my follow up visit last week. He said, “it’s only been a month. Relax!” (I love this guy and his whole team is fabulous, as well as the HSS facility).
My incision was not as bad as I expected, about 3.5 ins long, and has healed really well. I used Vitamin E oil on it right away and still put some on daily to keep it moist. Heating pad / moist heat really helped to quickly return range of motion, now i am icing to address some lingering internal swelling around incision).
I did a lot of research and was all over these discussion boards to see how others fared. There were so many negative experiences, that I was scared to death to have the surgery. But i am so glad I did. Not that I had any other option, really. For those of you who would like to listen to those telling you not to do it, be aware that (depending on your individual condition), the consequences of NOT doing the surgery could be worse. Don’t mess with your nerves.
I know that this will take time to heal but I’m confident of successful long term outcome.
The bottom line is that, like anything else, results of this kind of surgery will depend on the quality and experience of the surgeon – and everyone heals differently. Good luck!!!
Hello my name is BethAnn. I am 35 years old, was a restaurant owner for years and a nurse.
I started having problems with my hands and elbows in 2010. After a year and a half of options in July of 2012 I had the right side done. Ulnar Nerve Transposition, six days after the surgery my doctor had the stitches removed. I was in excruciating pain and had complete numbness in my three fingers as well as on the outer side of my elbow. My thumb and the incision area hurt beyond belief. I have a great pain tolerance level as I have had 40 surgeries in my lifetime. Two days after the stitches were removed my wound dehisced. They restitched it and from that point on I went from numbness to pain that had me in tears ten hours a day, limited use of the arm, I could not extend or completely open my arm. I did not know what to do.
My doctor was very rude and has no bedside manner, even when the wound reopened he refused to come to the hospital.
I went to a specialist, a new emg was done and the results were exactly the same as before the surgery. I was at a loss of words. Not only that but he could feel a large amount of scar tissue.
Before scheduling surgery he referred me to a neurologist due to my results on my left arm as well as my issues with my legs. I have pins and needles in all my distal parts as well as other issues. After many tests and a spinal tap and brain mri, I was diagnosed two months ago with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Again I could not speak. I was sent to ms specialist in the city and began treatments for the disease. The neurologist felt that my ulnar nerve issues were from the ms, but that the elbow had to be repaired the scar tissue needed to be removed.
5 months after my surgery I was in the operating room again. That is 4 days ago. My surgery took over two hours, there was so much scar tissue and problems with the joint and bone that he is not sure what the other doctor did to me. Today I went to have the stitches looked at, the last four days have been unbearable. My arm is now deformed. He had to remove so much tissue and stretch my tendon to create a sheath. My ring finger will stay bent as it is now contracted. My locks up and is killing my, I have a large hole in my arm that is very noticeable, and a scar that now runs from just below my wrist and almost to my arm pit. He is not sure if my pain will ever go away or how to explain what the other doctor did to me. I wish I had done more research as well as looked into the doctor more. He was nationally recognized so I thought he was perfect. I was wrong he has three lawsuits pending already.
If you must get the surgery please look into all your options as much as possible, also make sure that you have tried all other therapies and solutions before letting them operate. I wish a great recovery to all of you and am glad that I am not alone.
I had a submuscular ulnar nerve transposition surgery done on 14th feb 2013 on my left elbow. I had immense pins and needles after surgery and that gradually reduced! I had the stitch removed 12 days after surgery and have a very neat scar. Surgeon was very concerned that my thumb and next 2 fingers had become numb since the op – and with the weakness in my wrist and hand – and was sent for physio to get range of movement back in my elbow and to do nerve glide exercises! As it turns out my physio is pretty sure I have carpal tunnel – I had my surgery done based on symptoms, nerve conduction studies were inconclusive… I still can’t straighten my elbow 1 month after and i don’t have normal feeling around my elbow and it’s painful if I knock it. I still get random moments of nerve issues…. My little finger, and next finger and hand that side feel hot and cold at times and I get random pins and needles.. And times when I can’t move my little finger again… But mostly it has sorted the issue. Just need more physio to get my elbow back to normal. Seeing the surgeon next week and will discuss the carpal tunnel issue with him- as that is clearly a contributing factor to my original complaints!! (weak grip with my hand cant spread my fingers properly- I look forward to hopefully continuing to improve – 1 month and I have positive results – unfortunately anything to do with nerves takes a long while to heal! Just want full movement back in my elbow!!
Would just like to add – I had very little bruising post surgery and I took no painkillers at all!! My first session of physio was the most painful thing to do with this surgery!
this was second surgery. my incision is very large. probably 20 inches or so. my first surgery was a mess and had severe pain for two years. i had gone to four doctors and none of them wanted to touch it. the biggest problem i had was with a guy from hospital special surgery in nyc who was a complete jerk. long story short, whole nerve was compressed from mid forearm to underarm. guy who did my surgery was great. my son had tommy john surgery twice and he did the both. day 9 and pain is sudsiding and i am going to start to cut back on the meds. i have about 35 staples in my arm. this is my 4th surgery and by far the toughest. best advice i can give is if you dont have to go thru the surgery, dont. it is not easy. my son snapped back after his 2nd sugery and did well. hope the same for me. the guy who did my surgery, dr. zornitzer , west orange. great guy, great surgeon. guy in new york, i will leave his name out.
I’ve had a submuscular transposition surgery on my left arm (and another surgery to clear “a band of muscle” out of the nerve’s way), and one of the absolute most frustrating things about it has been the difficulty in finding anyone who’s also had the same surgery to compare experiences with it and know what exactly I should have expected. I cannot overstate my gratitude for each of your posts… as randomly placed as they are on this techie’s blog.
I still frequently feel the nerve snapping against something inside my arm with regular motion, especially lifting, and can directly provoke it by turning my palm upwards and bending my arm. It’s basically only halfway tolerable if I don’t engage in any physical exercise (… *sigh*).
But most recently, two months ago, my right arm started having problems too. It almost feels like the nerve is stuck over my inner elbow… but whatever’s really going on, whenever I’m using a computer or driving, and straighten my arm out from a bent position, I have constant loud snapping in my elbow along with a small jolt. It’s not something I can do on command though, so I found it impossible to prove to my doctor, although when I went to work after I last spoke with him, my arm snapped more than a hundred times throughout the day. My right pinky finger gets numb and weak because of this, and my inner elbow sore. I was given a cortisone shot for this a few days ago, and so far, I can’t say that it’s helped. I really hope that when I go back to the doctor’s that he doesn’t then insist upon EMG, those tests are pure torture for someone as jumpy as I am.
I’m losing hope that I’ll ever feel normal or comfortable in my own body again. It’s killed my motivation to do anything with my life besides scrape by and survive. The list of things that I would now gladly exchange for normally functioning arms grows by the day.
I just found out just last Thursday that both my ulnar nerves are torn along with carpal tunnel in both my wrists they are talking surgery I am scared because I FINALLY got my life back on track (new car new job new place a whole new life with my man and my children) but I am tired of living with pain every day like I do in my back from a fall 5 years ago I cant do the things I love right now like play with my 5 year old or hold my newborn or cook and bake it hurts to work every day (I am a cashier-something I enjoy doing also) I know I need the surgery to repair my nerves but it’s disheartening that I will loose my mobility for a while loose what I hold most precious and taken for granted of all these years I can only hope that lord and lady speed me on my quest of recovery please pray for me we all need prayers here I think I know I will pray for all of you myself