Why Is My Pinky Finger Numb?

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By Julia Guthart, OTR/L CHT

Why is My Pinky Finger Numb? 


Does your pinky finger and sometimes your ring finger go numb? Do you wake up at night with your pinky finger tingling and full of pins and needles? Are you having trouble making your pinky finger fully straight? 

The quick answer is all of these are symptoms of a nerve being “choked” and causing the tingling and numbness.  A nerve is like a garden hose. It brings electro-chemical energy to the muscles and causes them to contract and relax; thus causing movement. The nerve can be crunched or choked from anatomical structures. These anatomical structures may be bones or bone fragments; osteophytes (protrusion of bone edges that occur because of arthritis or aging), ligaments, or soft tissue structures that keep joints stable.  Why does your pinky and ring finger keep going numb? Did you recently break your elbow and the bone fragment is causing outside pressure on the Ulnar Nerve? Do you have arthritis or “loose bodies” causing pressure on the Ulnar nerve at the elbow? Does your work cause pressure on your elbow or soft tissue ligaments? 

Please read this article to learn more about the anatomy of the hand.


Why is my pinky finger numb? Does your pinky finger and sometimes your ring finger go numb?Why is my Pinky Finger Numb?
 

What is the Cubital Tunnel?

The quick answer is that the cubital tunnel is the space where the Ulnar Nerve passes through in the elbow.  Do you play a sport or recreational activity that causes pressure on you inside elbow, which is choking the Ulnar nerve? The Ulnar nerve supplies the pinky and half of the ring finger with sensory information. Nerves are long structures (like the garden hose example above). As the Ulnar Nerve passes through the elbow it can get squeezed or choked at the Cubital Tunnel.  This is the most common area of Ulnar Nerve compression.

  Another area of Ulnar Nerve compression is in Guyon’s Canal which is at your wrist. Bending of the elbow can cause outside compression of the Ulnar Nerve. So what is going on outside your body is just as important as what is going on inside your body. The Ulnar Nerve could be experiencing some internal forces that are putting pressure on it; and then when we keep our arm bent for a long period of time, this applies an outside pressure on the Ulnar nerve. This often causes the pinky finger and ring finger to go numb.

Image of the elbow with cubital tunnel syndrome. The ulnar nerve passes through the cubital tunnel in the elbow. If you asking "why is my pinky numb?", the problem may be that the ulnar nerve is being compressed in the cubital tunnel.image of Cubital tunnel syndrome

Can a Fracture Cause Numbness in My Pinky?

Fractures can cause swelling around nerve.  If the symptoms are because of a fracture, numbness, and tingling will resolve as the fracture heals. But be sure to tell your physician of all symptoms you are experiencing.  This could be related to an old injury to your arm or elbow. A visit to your physician and an x-ray can reveal something called loose bodies. These are fragments of bone tissue that float in the joint capsule and sometimes cause a “locking” of the joint and compression of the Ulnar nerve.

Why is my pinky finger numb?Using a headset for work decrease the pressure on the Ulnar Nerve 

Does your work cause you to lean on your elbows? For example, do you drive for a living? Does your pinky tend to go numb when you are driving (are you resting your elbows on the arms rests of your driver’s seat?) and holding onto the steering wheel? If you are a truck driver that ratchets downloads on a flatbed, you may have caused more pressure to your elbows and increased the numbness in your pinky finger and ring finger.
Do you hold a phone to your ear a lot at work or at home? The bending of the elbow to hold the phone to your ear causes extra stress on the nerve and can cause your pinky finger to go numb. With all the work at home during the Covid-19 Pandemic, your workspace may not be ideal. You may need to evaluate the ergonomics of your workspace to decrease the bending of your elbow while working on the phone and computer. A headset at work will decrease the bending of your elbow and decrease the pressure on the Ulnar Nerve and hopefully decrease the numbness in your pinky and ring finger. Using speakerphone is also another option to decrease the flexion of the elbow and decrease these symptoms. Read this ARTICLE on ergonomics to check your workspace.

What is the Remedy for Numbness in Your Pinky and Ring Finger?

Well if you do not bend your elbow a lot, it can decrease the numbness in the pinky and ring finger. Sleeping with an elbow sleeve that has a “bumper” on the front will keep you from curling up with your hand under your pillow at night. This will remove external forces on the elbow and decrease the compression of the Ulnar nerve.
Using an Elbow pad during the day to decrease the amount of pressure from leaning on your elbows at your desk, or in your car/truck if you drive a lot can also be beneficial. Basically, you want to keep your elbow straighter and therefore not ‘kink” the nerve at the elbow.

Another home remedy is to take an old long sock; cut off the “foot” end so now you have a long tunnel or sleeve.  Place this over your symptomatic elbow (the side where the pinky and ring finger are numb).  Then, roll up another sock, small towel, or washcloth. Place this “bumper” or “roll” inside the sleeve on the front of your elbow. Go to sleep with this on. It should keep you from fully bending the elbow and decrease the compression or “kink” on the ulnar nerve.

Many times the pinky finger and ring finger numbness are transient; meaning not permanent. And if you try these methods, the numbness may go away. However, if you experience muscle wasting (a dent occurs on the back of your hand near your thumb) and difficulty fully making your pinky go straight (it is curled and out of the way), then you need to seek medical evaluation by a physician. Even with proper posture and ergonomic set up, injuries can still happen.  That’s why the Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute offers many convenient locations to get you on the road to recovery.  

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