by John Kenyon, CNA » Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:22 pm
Hi there -
You struck your "funny bone" which is "funny" because the ulnar nerve passes through there close to the surface. This nerve serves the outer side of the affected hand, as well as the ring and fifth fingers, as you describe, so the symptoms are entirely appropriate, but shouldn't last too long. If they continue then you may have done some damage to the structure around the nerve where it passes the elbow joint. It is almost certainly not a blood clot, but could be swelling due to the blow (a bursa in your elbow may be irritated and enlarged, which should go away) or you may have just traumatized the nerve locally, which also should get better on its own, usually in a few days. If it doens't get better on its own it may need a doctor's attention, as the tingling could become more persistent, and if the fingers or the edge of the hand start to become numb you'll definitely need to at least get it x-rayed (the elbow) to make sure there isn't some chronic swelling or perhaps that the nerve got pushed out of its channel (something that's pretty easy to fix). It's not a dangerous problem, but if it doesn't improve on its own it could become ulnar neuropathy and could lead to long-term numbness, clumsiness, dropping things, etc. It usually resolves on its own, but if it continues more than a few days, please do have it looked at. Again, no blood clot, but potentially a really annoying chronic injury.
Best of luck to you. I hope this is helpful.
John Kenyon, EMT, CCT
Non-invasive cardiology tech, Emergency and Critical Care technician, Critical Incident Stress Mgmt. specialist
