I came, I saw, I conquered-Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

In order to be become a more effective clinician, one must pay more attention to some of the "small" details. Recently I had the pleasure of helping a gentle man who presented to our clinic with medial elbow pain. MRI indicated cubital tunnel syndrome. It has been bothering him for about two months, especially after doing rowing and pull ups. Pain did not improve after he quit these exercises.  Neurosurgeon has offered surgery to release his cubital nerve relieve his increasing pain. His family doctor suggested he consult me before considering surgery. 

After listening to his story, I pointed out the problem was his missing left index finger which he lost at age of six after a heavy brick fell on it. Extra stress caused microtears and inflammation in his flexors origins on medial epicondyle. Four sessions of acupuncture and stretching exercise in our office has resolved his issue. In order to keep up with his exercises, he'd need to use hand/wrist support to compensate his weakened grip due to missing index finger in left hand. 

Now it looks pretty simple to fix something appearing difficult to treat, doesn't it? It takes a clinician who is always keen on the "small" details, no matter which form of medicine one practices, acupuncture or conventional.

Frank He, L. AC., QME, DAOM