Anyone have cubital tunnel ?
I recently started having wrist pain , along with tingling in my little fingers and along the sides of my arms , which I mistakenly thought was carpel tunnel. Wrong sides of the hands, I’ve learned. I think it’s more likely cubital tunnel, and it started after a mini flare. I called my rheumatologist, which is how I learned that I’d mistaken this for carpal tunnel , and was told that it was not and that I needed to call my PCP, as it was another neurological problem. Has anyone experienced this and was it related to your RA? My rheumatologist is leaving the practice and I’m being moved to a new doctor that I’ll see in August, but I’m interested to hear if anyone feels that this is linked to their RA.
yes, I have Cubital Tunnel, diagnosed by ultra sound. I believe mine is from swelling in my elbows from my RA putting pressure on the ulnar nerve (back or underside of elbow.) The tingling shows up in my ring and pinky fingers when my arms are flexed, or if I rest them on certain armrests. Such as when I’m in the passenger seat of my car resting my L arm on the center console or both arms in my brand new recliner.😕 I’m usually able to move them around a bit and the tingling and numbness go away. Sometimes padding the surface helps. So far, it’s just a minor annoyance, so I haven’t pursued any treatment. I also have Carpal Tunnel - my thumb and index finger get numb when my wrists are flexed tightly. That is from RA swelling in my wrists. Sometimes wrist supports/splints help this. So far, it isn’t very problematic either. My Rheum has offered a steroid injection if it gets worse. I Hope you get some answers and things go well with your new Rheum! Jo thank you!
On the other side of the coin from
I got carpal tunnel from my RA for a long time. They didn't tell me I was at a higher risk for it so I never took any precautions. Tingling, pain, inability to bend wrists, these were all the symptoms that eventually developed. I had to wear the splints for two years and be extremely careful before it finally started to subside. Good thing too because we were about to start considering surgery! Hopefully that helps, just know you are not alone! It's real! Keep on keepin' on, DPM that’s definitely something to watch out for. Thank you.
Hi
. Some rheumatologists act as though if a symptom is not directly bone related it can be from RA. This is baffling because it is known that RA can impact connective tissues, nerves, organ systems, and more (see: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/ra-impacts-much-just-bones-joints). I want to share with you this case study about cubital tunnel syndrome because it notes in the very first sentence that "Cubital tunnel syndrome has been recognized as a common pathology in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the elbow:" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5944549/. Hopefully your new rheumatologist is open to the systemic issues. Wishing you the best. Richard (Team Member) thank you.
