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Conservative Treatment of the Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

From the Department of Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery & Burns, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Linköping University Hospital, and Department of Orthopaedics, Västervik County Hospital, Sweden

Correspondence: B. Svernlöv, Department of Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery & Burns, University Hospital, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden. Tel.: +46 13 221887. E-mail:birgitta.svernlov{at}lio.se.

Conservative treatment of the cubital tunnel syndrome was evaluated in a randomised study of 70 patients with mild or moderate symptoms (Dellon, 1989). All patients were informed about the cause of symptoms and allocated to three groups: night splinting, nerve gliding and control. Evaluation consisted of Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, visual analogue pain scales, strength measurements and neurophysiological examination, before treatment and after six months. Fifty-seven patients were followed for six months. Fifty-one (89.5%) were improved at the follow-up. There were no significant differences between the groups in any of the recorded variables. Night splints and nerve gliding exercises did not add favourably. Routine neurophysiological examination seems unnecessary since 76% of the patients with typical symptoms had normal findings and 75% with pathological findings improved. Patients with mild or moderate symptoms have a good prognosis if they are informed of the causes of the condition and how to avoid provocation.

Key Words: elbow • ulnar nerve • neuropathy • nerve gliding • splinting

This version was published on April 1, 2009

Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Vol. 34, No. 2, 201-207 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1753193408098480


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