Ulnar Nerve Entrapment

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SandyAust
SandyAust Member Posts: 393
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

Hi All,

Does anyone now whether LE can contribute to ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow?

 I only had a SNB (3 nodes) and mx, but I do get quite a bit of swelling under my left arm and on the side, front and back of my chest at times.  I have been using the "ignore it and hopefully it will go away" treatment approach for the past seven years.

I have an inflammatory disease similar to ankylosing spondylitis so I get a lot of pain anyway but my neck, left shoulder and left arm are killing me.  I virtually can't lift anything with that arm.  I can still use it to do stuff, just no lifting. I recently had nerve conduction studies and the neurologist found this ulnar nerve problem. It is probably due to the arthritis, but I was wondering whether LE might contribute.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 Sandy

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited July 2012

    Sandy, good morning!

    I'm wondering if you've had radiation, and if so if there were multiple fields involved. Sometimes extensive radiation can cause symptoms like these that don't appear for many years. 

    I'm not aware of LE contributing to nerve entrapment, though some experts suspect that the pain that sometimes accompanies LE (especially in the breast/chest) results from fluid pressure on the nerves. In that case reducing the swelling generally relieves the pain. But an entrapped nerve is another thing altogether, so I'm not sure about that relationship.

    Sorry I can't be more helpful!Frown
    Gentle hugs,
    Binney

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2012

    Sandy, here's my take on it--you sure sound like you have possible LE: with the under arm and trunk and chest swelling, and I'd advocate that you get evaluated and treated, as LE isn't just swelling, but stagnant lymph causes inflammatory changes and skin fibrosis.

    The ulnar nerve typically gets entrapped at the elbow. The "funny bone" we've all experienced when we smack it.

    If you're holding fluid at the elbow tendons, and that's a very common place for fluid to hang out, you could be narrowing the path that the ulnar nerve travels and contributing to the entrapment.

    Here's a link to how to find a qualified lymphadema therapist

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Finding_a_Qualified_Lymphedema_Therapist.htm

    What you described:  " I do get quite a bit of swelling under my left arm and on the side, front and back of my chest at times."It sure is suspicious for truncal and arm LE. The good news is that LE therapy is non-invasive and can keep the situation from progressing.

    We all have the tendency to not want to deal with one more thing, but if it's going to help you, it's worth consideration.

    Kira

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  • lionessdoe
    lionessdoe Member Posts: 780
    edited July 2012

    Ulnar nerve damage is typical for RIBP.

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