Cubital tunnel syndrome is a common condition in which the ulnar nerve is compressed behind a bone located at the elbow (medial epicondyle). Symptoms include numbness, pain and weakness in the small finger and half of the ring finger, as well as the forearm (Fig. 1).
Dr. Harvey Chim performs endoscopic cubital tunnel release, a minimally invasive procedure that relieves the pressure on the ulnar nerve. Using an endoscope, a small two-centimeter incision (Fig. 2) is created to release the pressure, only cutting the compressing structures without damaging other soft tissue. This gentle approach results in faster recovery for patients, as well as less pain and swelling than traditional open surgery, which involves an eight to 10-centimeter incision (Fig. 3).
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is another common nerve condition; however it involves the median nerve being compressed at the wrist. Symptoms include numbness, pain and weakness in the thumb, index, long and half of the ring finger.
Dr. Chim also performs endoscopic carpal tunnel release, a minimally invasive procedure that relieves the pressure on the median nerve. Using an endoscope, he creates a one-centimeter incision at the wrist (Fig. 4) to release the pressure. This less invasive approach allows patients to recover more quickly with less pain and swelling than traditional open surgery, which involves a much larger incision (Fig. 5). Read about a recent study showing that most patients prefer the endoscopic method.
