Can You Break Your Elbow by Hitting Your Funny Bone
You Asked: Why does it hurt when you hit your funny bone?
Annihilation but humerus (pun intended), don't get on the funny bone'southward nerves
June 21, 2016
If you striking your elbow just correct, chances are you'll of a sudden feel a precipitous pain and unpleasant prickling sensation radiate down your arm. You may even exclaim a few pick words nigh your situation out of sheer agony and surprise. It'south true: A knock to the 'funny bone' is anything merely funny.
Surprisingly, the funny os isn't really a bone at all. It'south actually a cluster of nerves called the ulnar nerve—a bundle of sensitive fibers that run backside your elbow joint. The ulnar nervus starts in the spine and offshoots through the shoulder and downward the arm, ending in both the pinky finger and ring finger. Information technology then follows a delicate pathway that is unprotected every bit information technology passes backside the knob of the elbow.
"The ulnar nerve is wedged between the os and the skin near the elbow joint with footling to no cushion or protection," said Cody Bruce, MSN, RN, assistant professor with the Texas A&M Wellness Scientific discipline Middle College of Nursing. "When your elbow is extended, this area is protected, only, if the elbow is bent, it opens up this sensitive area. When yous hitting that groove, you're actually pinching the nervus, which is why you experience moderate discomfort and a tingling feeling down the arm."
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the ulnar nerve controls most of the small muscles in the hand and wrist that coordinate fine movements, plays a primal office in part and coordination, and is responsible for delivering sensation to the pinky and ring fingers while directing the bigger forearm muscles to aid in grip force.
Sometimes funny bone hurting can be more serious than simply hit your elbow at the wrong angle. Persistent discomfort may signal a chronic wellness condition called "cubital tunnel syndrome," which happens when the ulnar nerve is subjected to constant pressure or stretching.
Direct force per unit area (like flattening the arm against a desk-bound or arm rest) tin squash the ulnar nerve resulting in a pins-and-needles sensation, as if the mitt or arm has fallen "comatose." Keeping the elbow bent for extended periods of time may also stretch the nerve—most common when we stay in one positon during sleep. Repeating snapping of the elbow (routine in sports like tennis and golf) is another culprit.
"Cubital tunnel syndrome shouldn't be confused with carpal tunnel syndrome (which primarily affects the wrist)," Bruce said. "Symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome include pain, loss of sensation, tingling and weakness—usually confined to the ring and pocket-sized fingers. Texting has actually increased diagnosis of cubital tunnel syndrome in recent years because the arm stays in a stock-still, aptitude position when people text."
Bruce said cubital tunnel syndrome normally affects the dominant arm, and if your arm or fingers become numb or tingly while texting, or in a bent position, you lot should straighten your arm out to bring blood flow and circulation dorsum to the area. If the uncomfortable feeling persists, you may need to consult with your health care provider for treatment options.
Through history, information technology's yet unclear as to how the ulnar nerve was dubbed the funny bone. Bruce said one reason the name stuck is because of the dull tingling or funny sensation that occurs when the surface area is irritated. Others believe it's a play on words, since the upper arm bone that runs between the elbow and shoulder is called the humerus. "1 thing is clear: The funniest thing nearly the funny os is information technology's the only 'os' in the body you can't break, because information technology's a nerve," Bruce said.
Source: https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/hit-your-funny-bone/