Ulnar Nerve Injury

The human hand receives three main nerves from the spinal cord ; namely median nerve, ulnar nerve and radial nerve. Ulnar nerve supplies muscles of the forearm ( helps in moving the wrist ), muscles of fingers ( helps in moving little and ring fingers ) and hand ( helps in fine activities ). It also provides a useful sensation to little and ring fingers.

Ulnar nerve may be injured by direct impact over the nerve, compressions over the nerve or by cut injuries. Injury to the ulnar nerve may cause difficulty in performing finger and hand movements with loss of sensation.

Management of such injuries depends on the mechanism of injury sustained. Acute cut injuries are repaired microscopically whereas chronic injuries may need ulnar nerve reconstruction using nerve grafts or tendon transfers to correct the disability.