G56. 21 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM G56. 21 became effective on October 1, 2021.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that involves pressure or stretching of the ulnar nerve (also known as the “funny bone” nerve), which can cause numbness or tingling in the ring and small fingers, pain in the forearm, and/or weakness in the hand.
Cubital tunnel syndrome happens when the ulnar nerve, which passes through the cubital tunnel (a tunnel of muscle, ligament, and bone) on the inside of the elbow, is injured and becomes inflamed, swollen, and irritated.
The cubital tunnel is a space of the dorsal medial elbow which allows passage of the ulnar nerve around the elbow. It is bordered medially by the medial epicondyle of the humerus, laterally by the olecranon process of the ulna and the tendinous arch joining the humeral and ulnar heads of the flexor carpi ulnaris.
Cubital tunnel syndrome, also called ulnar nerve entrapment, happens when your ulnar nerve gets irritated or compressed (squeezed) at the inside of your elbow. Nerves are bundles of string-like fibers that send and receive messages between your brain and your body via electrical and chemical changes in the cells.
While carpal tunnel syndrome affects the thumb, index, and long fingers, cubital tunnel syndrome affects the small and ring fingers. Cubital tunnel syndrome may also cause pain similar to when you hit your funny bone.
At the elbow, the ulnar nerve travels through a tunnel of tissue (the cubital tunnel) that runs under a bump of bone at the inside of your elbow. This bony bump is called the medial epicondyle.
It's a popular moniker of cubital tunnel syndrome—neuritis, or inflammation of the ulnar nerve. Is it related to tennis elbow? It's completely unrelated. [Tennis elbow is tendonitis, and is caused by inflammation of the tendons.]
Table IClassificationSensationMovementMildIntermittent vibration paresthesiaConscious weakness, poor flexibilityModerateIntermittent tingling paresthesiaWeak grip strength, finger adduction and abduction confinedSeverePersistent paresthesia, 2-PD abnormalMuscle atrophy, failure of the fingers to adduct and abductSep 22, 2014
The cubital fossa is an area of transition between the anatomical arm and the forearm. It is located in a depression on the anterior surface of the elbow joint. It is also called the antecubital fossa because it lies anteriorly to the elbow (Latin cubitus) when in standard anatomical position.
Ulnar nerve. This nerve passes down the inside of the arm. It then passes behind the elbow, where it lies in a groove between two bony points on the back and inner side of the elbow. The ulnar nerve supplies muscles that help bend the wrist and fingers, and that help move the fingers from side to side.
Perform an elbow flexion test - This test, generally considered the best diagnostic test for cubital tunnel syndrome, [101, 102] involves having the patient flex the elbow past 90°, supinate the forearm, and extend the wrist; results are positive if discomfort is reproduced or paresthesia occurs within 60 seconds.