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Ulnar
nerve entrapment rehabilitation
Rehabilitation exercises
Alternative exercises
How long will the effects of the injury last?
When can I return to my sport or activity?
Read more about ulnar nerve
entrapment
Ulnar nerve entrapment
rehabilitation
As an athlete, your number one concern is getting back to full strength
as soon as possible so that you can return to training and competition.
That is why appropriate rehabilitation is extremely important.
Unfortunately, rehabilitation
for ulnar nerve entrapment is a matter of refraining from the activity
that causes it. However, you may increase the strength of the forearm
and range of motion of the wrist, which speeds up recovery and prevents
the injury from recurring.
Rehabilitation
exercises
The exercises below increase the strength of the forearm muscles. They
should be performed to the point of initial pain only. You may increase
resistance only when the exercise can be performed with no pain, for the
designated number of repetitions.
- Wrist
extensor
Sit next to a table with the injured forearm on the table surface with
the wrist at the end of the table and the palm down. Hold a two- or
three-pound dumbbell in the injured-side hand and raise it as high as
pain permits or until the back of the hand is level with the table top.
Hold this position for 5 seconds. Relax the arm and hand for 10 seconds.
Perform this sequence 10 times, 3 times daily. Increase the range of
the exercise motion as pain permits until the back of the hand is level
with the table top at each repetition. When this is possible, increase
the amount of resistance by one-half pound.
- Wrist
flexor
Sit next to a table with the injured forearm on the table surface with
the wrist at the end of the table and the palm up. Hold a two- or three-pound
dumbbell in the hand and raise it as high as pain permits or until the
weight is level with the tabletop. Hold this position for 5 seconds.
Relax the arm and hand for 10 seconds. Perform this sequence 10 times,
3 times daily. Increase the range of motion as pain permits until the
weight is level with the tabletop at each repetition. When this is possible,
increase the amount of resistance by one-half pound.
- Wrist
extensor
Assume a hands-and-knees position, with the back of the hands on the
floor and fingers pointed toward the knees. Slowly rock forward, placing
weight on the hands and wrists to the onset of pain. Hold this position
for 5 seconds. Rock backward, relieving the wrists and hands of the
body weight, and relax for 10 seconds. Perform this sequence 10 times,
3 times daily. As pain permits, increase the amount of weight transferred
to the hands and wrists.
- Wrist
flexor
Assume a hands-and-knees posture, with palms on the floor and fingers
pointing forward. Slowly rock forward, placing weight on the hands and
wrists until the onset of pain. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Rock
backward, relieving the wrists and hands of the body weight, and relax
for 10 seconds. Perform this sequence 10 times, 3 times daily. As pain
permits, increase the amount of weight transferred to the hands and
wrists.
Alternative exercises
During the period when normal training should be avoided, alternative
exercises may be used. These activities should not require any actions
that create or intensify pain at the site of injury. They include:
How long will the
effects of the injury last?
Recovery time from ulnar nerve entrapment varies. Usually, return to full
activity depends on how long it takes for the inflammation of the ulnar
nerve to remit. In most cases, with appropriate treatment and avoidance
of the activity that caused the condition, inflammation and pain disappear
within two to four weeks. However, some severe cases may last eight weeks
and longer. An early return to your sport before your symptoms are gone
may cause a more serious condition that might require surgery.
When can I return
to my sport or activity?
Return to full participation in the activity that caused the injury should
be avoided until all symptoms are gone. However, it's possible to make
a partial return to activity as long as pain permits. For example, a bicyclist
suffering from ulnar nerve entrapment may continue to cycle in an upright
position that does not require body weight to be supported by the hands,
wrists, or forearms. The baseball player may practice fielding skills,
the golfer practice putting (if it's not painful), and the tennis player
practice groundstrokes that do not cause pain.
Remember: The goal
of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as
is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury,
which could lead to permanent damage. Return to your activity is determined
by how soon your ulnar nerve entrapment recovers and full range of motion
is restored, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury
occurred.
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