Carpal Versus Cubital

Scott LaFee
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:00:00 -0800
Lifestyle

When your hand starts to tingle or go numb, it's common to blame carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist. CPS can be triggered by repetitive wrist tasks, pregnancy, obesity or underlying conditions like diabetes. It affects 1%-5% of the general population. Treatments range from splinting and activity modification to medications and surgery.

But there is a condition called cubital tunnel syndrome that produces some similar symptoms. Rather than involving the wrist's median nerve, the ulnar nerve in the elbow is compressed, resulting in numbness and tingling in some fingers along with aching pain in the elbow. Effective treatment may be substantially different from treatment for CPS.

It's important to get the correct diagnosis to ensure appropriate treatment. There are other conditions with symptoms similar to CPS, including pronator syndrome, in which the median nerve in the forearm is compressed, and diabetic neuropathy.
Updated: Wed Feb 18, 2026

When your hand starts to tingle or go numb, it's common to blame carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist. CPS can be triggered by repetitive wrist tasks, pregnancy, obesity or underlying conditions like diabetes. It affects 1%-5% of the general population. Treatments range from splinting and activity modification to medications and surgery.

But there is a condition called cubital tunnel syndrome that produces some similar symptoms. Rather than involving the wrist's median nerve, the ulnar nerve in the elbow is compressed, resulting in numbness and tingling in some fingers along with aching pain in the elbow. Effective treatment may be substantially different from treatment for CPS.

It's important to get the correct diagnosis to ensure appropriate treatment. There are other conditions with symptoms similar to CPS, including pronator syndrome, in which the median nerve in the forearm is compressed, and diabetic neuropathy.

Likewise, Guyon's canal syndrome (ulnar nerve compression at the wrist) and thoracic outlet syndrome (pressure on nerves or blood vessels near the collarbone) can mimic cubital tunnel syndrome.

Body of Knowledge

Roughly 10%-15% of people are left-handed; just 1% are ambidextrous, able to use both hands with equal skill. Some left-handers learn to use their nondominant hand effectively due to tools designed for right-handers.

Contrary to a persistent myth, left-handed people do not inherently die earlier, though some may be at greater risk using a dangerous tool designed for right-handers.

Get Me That, Stat!

California students whose schools operate tobacco-use prevention education programs use tobacco at significantly lower rates (6.5%) than students at schools without such programming (8.1%), according to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Counts

70: Five-year survival rate across all cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. (The rate applies to the percentage of people who are alive five years after initial diagnosis or start of treatment for a disease. In 1971, when the National Cancer Act was passed, the five-year rate was 50%.)

Doc Talk

Diagnostic odyssey: A phrase describing the significant delay and distraction experienced by some people when trying to achieve a diagnosis for a medical condition, often a rare disease

Phobia of the Week

Diagraphephobia: Fear of losing computer or digital data

Best Medicine

So this man walks into a pharmacy and asks, "Have you got cotton balls?"

And the pharmacist says, "What is this, a joke?"

Observation

"A man is as old as his arteries." — English physician Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689). Incidentally, the word "arteriosclerosis" would not be coined until more than a century later by French anatomist Jean Lobstein in 1833.

Medical History

This week in 1968, the first telephone system in the U.S. to use 911 as the universal emergency services telephone number was inaugurated in Haleyville, Alabama. Before then, dialing a seven-digit number was necessary.

Perishable Publications

Many, if not most, published research papers have titles that defy comprehension. They use specialized jargon, complex words and opaque phrases like "nonlinear dynamics." Sometimes they don't, yet they're still hard to figure out. Here's an actual title of actual published research study: "It's Okay to be Skinny, If Your Friends Are Fat."

The 2000 paper isn't about obesity but rather how data is structured and searched.

Self-Exam

Q: Apart from (most) people, which animals have chins?

A: None. Only humans have "true" chins, which are specific bony features that extend from the lower jaw. For other animals, what might be thought of as their chin is really just the bottom of their face. Some experts have suggested elephants and manatees have chins, but others argue their facial structures are fundamentally distinct and should not be compared to humans. No one knows why humans evolved chins. They might have played a role in eating or speaking or just emerged as a side effect of other evolutionary changes.

Medical Myths

Cold weather doesn't make you sick — at least not in the sense of catching a cold. Researchers disproved this persistent notion decades ago when they exposed people shivering in frigid rooms or standing in icy baths to rhinoviruses (an actual cause of colds). These people proved no more likely to become sick than counterparts exposed to viruses in more comfortable settings.

Med School

Q: What's the name of the snake wrapped around the rod on the famous symbol for medicine?

A: Snakey McSnakeface. Not really. The snake has no personal name but is a feature curling around the rod held by Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine and healing. The snake symbolizes renewal and rebirth through its ability to shed its skin.

Epitaphs

"Here lies a Proof that Wit can never be / Defence enough against Mortality." — English playwright Aphra Behn (1640-1689). Behn was one of the first published female playwrights. Her Restoration comedies helped create a new era in theater post-William Shakespeare, who had died in 1616.