Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

For the past few years I have occasionally woken up in the middle of the night with a numb left hand.  The first couple times this happened I panicked, thinking it was a sign of a heart attack.  After awhile, however, it became apparent that it was most likely tied to my sleeping position and I kind of assumed it was due to being overweight - I'm a side sleeper and figured that lying on my left side must be cutting off the circulation.  But about a year ago, I noticed that sometimes my left hand would go numb even though I was lying on my RIGHT side.  I did some googling and found that other people have the same problem, and it is often due to sleeping with elbows bent - which is without a doubt my favorite sleeping position.  Unfortunately, even though I make an effort to fall sleep with my arms straight, I occasionally wake up with my arms bent and my hands curled under my pillow. 

The numbness is usually limited to my pinky and ring finger, but last night I slept so well on my new mattress that I must have stayed in the same position for a few hours - I woke up to an arm that was numb almost to the elbow!  It took awhile to come back to life and I started to worry that I might be causing permanent nerve damage.  So I googled again and came across a lot of useful information - it turns out that this condition has a name and lots of treatments options.

Cubital tunnel syndrome (also called ulnar tunnel syndrome) occurs when there is pressure on the ulnar nerve, which runs from the spinal cord through the elbow and into the hand.  When the elbow is bent, the nerve can be stretched against the bones in that area of the arm and cause a variety of symptoms.  The syndrome is common in people who sleep with their elbows bent, or who have a tendency to lean on their elbows a lot (also something I do).  Over time, weakness, pain, numbness and ultimately nerve damage can occur.  It seems to me that I have a bit less feeling/strength in my left pinky than my right (which might also be my imagination) but other than that I don't seem to have any permanent damage.  The website I found lists a few treatments, surgery being one of them, but the easiest and cheapest seems to be 'splinting' the arm with a towel at night for a few weeks to retrain yourself to sleep with straight elbows. That's what I'll try first.

Every time something doesn't feel right in my body I'm inclined to assume the worst (and also blame it on myself for being overweight).  My parents have had cancer, diabetes, heart disease and ALS, and I sometimes feel like it's just a matter of time before one of those conditions comes my way - that even though I'm working so hard on my health now, the damage is done and a devastating illness is inevitable.  It was a relief to discover that CTS is a common syndrome that is relatively harmless and easy to treat.  

I'm off now for my Saturday run - the weather is so amazing today that I'm going to hit up a local trail instead of the treadmill!