Hi,
Once more going under the knife, this time with my left elbow, with the ulnar nerve is entrapped. It causes a lot of pain and numbness especially when I am lieing down.I had a release done on the right side in 2016, it is entrapped again also. My surgeon said he will reposition it, says these things happen. Also the pinky trigger finger surgery failed! For the top hand surgeon in California, he is not batting 100… I really like this surgeon, he has a very good stitch! Unlike most surgeons, he is a great guy too. His scheduler is a real piece of work, “Cindy”, I dread calling her…
My question, could this be caused/agrevated by PsA? I wonder if the trigger finger is catching on the synovial section because it is inflamed? The catch is on the pully that the tendon goes through at the base of the finger. I did mention it to him, he is baffled, and kind of pissed his surgeries failed.
I am 99% sure my cubital tunnel issues are PsA related. I use a soft elbow splint/brace designed for just this issue at night … in fact come to mention it I haven’t needed it for several weeks so I’m having a good spell with it at the moment. I’ve also found some physio exercises online which help too.
Co-incidentally I had a spell where the nerves were snagging in my inflammed shoulders and I had both cubital and a weird carpal tunnel simultaneously, all day long. It was horrible. Thankfully it passed after a few months, as these things tend to do. I’d only consider surgery myself if absolutely all else failed.
Good luck Jon, I suspect PsA may keep your surgeon busy for some time.
The right Ulnar measured in at 20mm, and the left was the normal 7mm diameter when I had my elbows ultrasound imaged, that is why I decided to get the last surgery. I guess it might have been better to move it instead of just releasing it, it was the surgeons call, they check the nerve to see if it dislocates when the arm is bent, he didn’t think it was necessary. I bet he chooses to transposition it on the next surgery!
I gave up on the the second Carpal tunnel surgery, his surgery didn’t help much with the left side, though he did a brilliant job of it!
Having this in both elbows makes it difficult to sleep with the pain, I also have the foam tootsie rolls, but they don’t help much. Then there is the cat…
I had a weird tendon problem in both shoulders, the tendon had a knot on it, and would get stuck in the Bicipital groove and pop out, they call it dumbbell bicep tendon.
Insurance will be rolling there eyes when they submit yet another request! I hope they don’t have a “wet team”, to make budget cuts…
I hear you on the cat, though. My usual sleeping companion has had to be relegated back to the kitchen, his need to sleep on me/walk all over me just got too much. And my husband is relegated to the spare room!
Inflammatory arthritis is listed as a risk factor for all of these things. I have mild ulnar neuropathy and carpal tunnel syndrome. I’ve had a few trigger finger releases as well as releases for de quervains. Sounds familiar, right?
Even after the trigger releases, I’ll still get very inflamed tendons. The good news? They don’t catch anymore.
The poor surgeon scratching his head, tossing and turning in bed, tring to figure out what went wrong with the trigger finger surgery… I can have fun with this one, kind of like Lucy and the football on Charlie Brown. He gave me a cortisone shot, it did nothing. (But hurt)
The stats say that 20% of the cubital release surgeries fail, Almost none of the transpostioning surgeries fail but it offset of doing the easier surgery out weighs the results…
I’ll keep that in mind, the release vs. moving. I know that when I saw the neurologist last week, he mentioned that if I develop motor weakness that they would just go in and move the nerve. So I guess they already know that it’s a more effective result.
Trigger finger release May Not have failed. Scar tissue forms pretty easily along the pathway in PsA patients and needs worked out. Regular PT isn’t enough a hand rehab specialist or OT is a better choice. If nothing else their massage feels REAL GOOD lol. With my little thum issue, i actually saw them daily for a few weeks. I’m down to twice a week now IF i have a note from my wife saying she physically saw me doing my exercises and massage. I actually ended up with blisters at the massage points at one point.
The release surgery is pretty easy and is almost assuradley needed as the result of PsA. The moving not so easy (I’ve had both) Iwill tell you IV tylenol is amazing for pain control with either, Though I rarley turn down a dose of Tramadol lol.
Thanks, I will bring that up with my surgeon. I have to get a second opinion on the surgeries, I can ask him about PsA involvement. The surgeon gave me a cortisone shot and wants to know how the finger feels in two weeks. He didn’t mention any possibility of possible scar tissue build up.
The Trigger finder was done last year, the surgery helped a little, I did get PT and exercises. The locking is intermittent, so I would think it is more of a inflammation thing that comes and goes, then any physical scar tissue, that is why I was thinking synovitis. I did ask him about the synovial involvement during the surgery, he said it was a little inflamed. He does all the surgeries for my Rheumy, I would figure that they would have taken PsA in consideration? (Ya, right…) It will also trigger if I am pressing down on something. This all started with my antique flutes, some of them have keys that need to be depressed with the pinky, held out full length. I guess that will be to much to expect from the poor little finger.
I can have fun with this one, kind of like Lucy and the football on Charlie Brown. He gave me a cortisone shot, it did nothing. (But hurt)