If by “funny elow syndrome” you mean cubital tunnel syndrome, we may have some information for you. A recent review of 26 studies involving a total of 1500 patients addressed the question: What factors predict the outcome of surgery for cubital tunnel syndrome?
Six of the most commonly used prognostic factors were evaluated (including two that you mentioned). These included age, duration of symptoms, severity of preoperative status, results of preoperative electrodiagnostic testing, type of surgery, and Workers’ Compensation status.
This condition affects the ulnar nerve where it crosses the inside edge of the elbow. The symptoms are very similar to the pain that comes from hitting your funny bone. Of course, that’s why it is referred to by some as the funny elbow syndrome.
When you hit your funny bone, you are actually hitting the ulnar nerve on the inside of the elbow. There, the nerve runs through a passage called the cubital tunnel. When this area becomes irritated from injury or pressure, it can lead to cubital tunnel syndrome.
When pressure on the nerve is severe enough, constant pain, numbness, and electric shock sensations make it difficult to perform daily tasks at home and at work. The problem is usually treated conservatively with nonoperative care. Anti-inflammatory medications may help control the symptoms. The early symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome usually lessen if you just stop whatever is causing the symptoms. This is called activity modification.
If the symptoms do not go away, even with changes in activities and nonsurgical treatments, then surgery may be advised to stop damage to the ulnar nerve. The goal of surgery is to release the pressure on the ulnar nerve where it passes through the cubital tunnel.
The surgical approach reviewed in this study is called ulnar nerve transposition. In this procedure, the surgeon forms a completely new tunnel from the flexor muscles of the forearm. The ulnar nerve is then moved (transposed) out of the cubital tunnel and placed in the new tunnel.
It’s a delicate operation that can have variable results. Your idea is a good one. It would be helpful to have some way to evaluate patients before surgery for potential factors that might cause postoperative pain and disability. Having what we call predictive or prognostic factors might help surgeons choose patients more careful (and specifically) for this procedure and/or change the way patients are treated.
But the results of these studies showed no clear trend and conflicting results when focusing on these six potential predictive factors. The authors of this review say that the reasons for the lack of convincing or consistent evidence may not have to do with the factors themselves. It’s more likely that the study design and general low-quality of the studies were the real problem areas.
They concluded that future prognostic (high-quality) studies are definitely needed. One step researchers could take is to use the same disease-specific outcome measure that is reliable. Research to find such a tool should be the first step. Studies with large numbers of patients would also be helpful. And research that doesn’t rely on retrospective design (patients have to recall or remember events over a long period of time) is preferred.