Severe pain after second ulnar nerve surgery.

I have been an assembly line worker in the auto industry going on nine years. September 17, 2008 I had carpal and cubital tunnel release on my left arm. November 14, 2008 I had the same surgery on my right arm. I have been having numbness, tingling in my ring finger and pinky on both hands. My right has been very painful, like getting electric shocks everytime I move my elbow. I have lost all grip in my right hand. I went back to my surgeon and I had to have another surgery on my right elbow on October 14, 2009. It was to move my ulnar nerve to keep it from getting pinched off. I woke up after the sugery and the surgeon told me he unkinked my ulnar nerve, scraped alot of scar tissue out, released it some more and moved it a little. The past week the pain has become unbearable! The pain has gotten worse everyday instead of better. I am having sharp shooting pains from my elbow to my hand. After the shooting pain I can't move my fingers and my entire hand goes completely numb. Today the pain is so sharp and intense I can't even lift my arm up without screaming and bawling like a baby. I don't do that, ever!! I am still in my hard splint from wrist to armpit. I haven't lifted anything or used my right hand for anything. I would have went to ER but I go for my 2 week follow up tomorrow, Tuesday October 27. Anyone had anything like this? I have never had pain like this before! Anyone know what's going on in there?

i had one ulnar nerve entrapment surgery on my elbow 2 yrs ago, and some of what you said is similar to what i had. i was in a sling for 2 weeks, during which, i had no grip at all in my hand. i could not even hold a toothbrush in it at first. of course, it was in a sling for a reason, to heal and to limit movement, so i didn't try much. but yes, i had shooting pains, if i bumped it or moved it, it was really bad, and sometimes just randomly i would get shoots of pain. and after 2 weeks my neck and shoulder were all messed up from holding it weird, so i had that pain too.

it did slowly get better, but i would say that 2 weeks after, once they took off the sling, i still have almost no grip, and still had shooting pains. once i had it free from the sling it did start to feel better though, and then i started physical therapy.

i hope your appt gave you comfort in knowing what is going on, and that the doctor could determine if it is typical pain, or something wrong.

I got my splint off oct. 27 at my follow up appt. I told him all the shooting pains, burning from my hand to above my elbow. He thought getting the splint off would help with the shooting pains. It has some. I'm still getting them shooting from my elbow into my hand. The burning is really bad from elbow to wrist. He said that was normal for everything that has been done to the nerve and being the 2nd surgery he said the pain will be much worse and alot longer healing time. So it's been a week today since the splint came off. I'm still having the same pains and now I have a huge knot at the end of the incision below my elbow. I had spasms so bad last night I couldn't hold my arm up. I keep getting a heavy dead weight feeling in my forearm and hand and I have trouble even trying to move my fingers when this happens. It almost like loosing control. My arm and hand aren't listening to what I'm telling it to do. I had my evaluation for physical therapy today and I start pt tomorrow. I'm not to lift or do strengthening for 4 weeks. I have so much "wasting" I believe is the word they used. My grip was a whopping 5! I have a nonstop tremor in my pinky and ring finger and sometimes my thumb. Has anyone else experienced problems like these? I feel like everyday something new "bad" happens. Is there anyone out there like me? I just typed all this on my phone and I'm hurtin so bad and so weak I feel like I'm going to drop my phone!