Its not a bone and it sure ain't funny!
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (63643)
United States
January 18, 2009 7:19am CST
I started a discussion about how I banged my elbow and now I have a bruise on it. My friends keep talking about the "funny bone" but actually that's not what I hurt.
The funny bone isn't a bone, its the ulnar nerve, and I learned back in high school when I dislocated my wrist and pinched the ulnar nerve, that its a rather important part of the hand function!
It controls the 4th and 5th fingers and some of the hand movement on the outside of the hand.
Since I dislocated my wrist, I've had trouble with pinching it since then, down in the wrist area - and it doesn't give the "funny" feeling that banging up by the elbow does, it just causes the outside edge of my hand to feel odd.
Quite a few years ago, the roomie's cat attacked her and bit and scratched her arm bad enough she had to go to the doctor. One of the things he did was nail her ulnar nerve between her elbow and wrist and she's had a mild loss of feeling on the outside of her hand ever since.
Here's a link to a discription of the "funny bone."
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/funny_bone.html
4 people like this
15 responses
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
18 Jan 09
I know that it is a nerve but as a kid I wondered why they said, "Funny Bone" as there was nothing funny about it!! LOL
That is a cute and informative article.
4 people like this
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
18 Jan 09
yes, it really hurts so much. so much so that one who is suffering from it could no longer perform some tasks at home which used to be easy ones to handle.
handling cold materials is exceedingly difficult for me now. also when i reach out and accidentally use my last fingers in doing so, it sends extreme pain up through the elbow.
2 people like this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
18 Jan 09
thanks for the info on the funny bone, I hope the pain goes away for you soon.
2 people like this
@k1tten (2318)
• United States
18 Jan 09
I have hit that nerve several times in my left elbow, always by accident. I had surgery on that arm years ago when I was younger because I broke a smaller piece of bone off. I have to be careful though even accidently hitting it too because it's become more sensitive since the surgery. I know sometimes too when I hit my elbow on something that part of my hand does go a bit numb for a little while. Sometimes up to 15 minutes.
2 people like this
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
18 Jan 09
when a situation like this takes place, elicbxn, what is the best remedy so as to get the functions of fingers normal again?
at the moment i am having this problem involving my fingers. somebody advised me to dip my hand in a container of hot water with some salt added therein.
it has eased out the pain but it is still there.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
18 Jan 09
If you've just bumped it, it should pass pretty quick.
If you have pinched it some how, you probably ought to see a doctor.
If its pinched in the wrist, a brace is probably your best course of action, and anti-inflamatories like Naproxen Sodium or even asprin (Tylanol isn't an anti-inflamatory.)
If it is your nerve then soaking the hand is useless, because the problem is further up the arm.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
18 Jan 09
Oh, it was WAY more than a scratch, Lilybug! He bit her really bad on the outside of her arm, just went nutz on her arm.
Its why we first declawed, then pulled his top fangs, because he kept sending us to the hospital when he went nutz! (well, that, and the 2nd $300 vet bill on the cat he kept attacking!)
Even, "disarmed" the other cats are afraid of him. But it has made him much less aggresive.
1 person likes this
@newzealtralian (3930)
• Australia
14 Feb 09
It isn't funny when you pinch the ulnar nerve. I wonder if we could sue the person who came up with that saying for emotional distress? 
I have a pinched nerve in my wrist that often makes life hard. Due to my self defence training, I ended up with a tiny chip of bone breaking of the tip of the wrist and as it is right near the nerves, they can't fix it without damaging my hand further. It is very annoying when it decides to play up and there have been weeks and even months where I can't use the hand at all.
Interestingly enough, typing seems to control many nerve problems in the arms and hands due to the fact that you have to stretch your fingers out more which exercises the muscles and generally strengthens the limb. Writing by pen actually can do more harm than good because the muscles are still kept all cramped up.
I have a pinched nerve in my wrist that often makes life hard. Due to my self defence training, I ended up with a tiny chip of bone breaking of the tip of the wrist and as it is right near the nerves, they can't fix it without damaging my hand further. It is very annoying when it decides to play up and there have been weeks and even months where I can't use the hand at all.
Interestingly enough, typing seems to control many nerve problems in the arms and hands due to the fact that you have to stretch your fingers out more which exercises the muscles and generally strengthens the limb. Writing by pen actually can do more harm than good because the muscles are still kept all cramped up.1 person likes this
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
18 Jan 09
I didn't know that, that area was so important to the funcion of the arm and the wrist area. I really hate when I whack my arm there. It sends that wierd sensation through the whole body, it is both painful and really wierd all at the same time. Thank you so much for the very interesting information
2 people like this
• India
19 Jan 09
i think its really the worst period in ur life to face such a self damage. it may be ease for the people to make fun of that bone. but actually when they come across such a situation they feel for the mistakes. but being bold enough to face such comments is the first and the most powerful strength in you.
2 people like this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
22 Jan 09
The ulnar nerve is a really painful one to injure. Just knocking it gives you that painful 'funny' feeling we put down to the 'funny bone', but like you I have hit it hard before and it really wasn't funny. My whole forearm and the outer part of my hand went numb and stayed that way for some time and I wasn't able to grip very well.
Interestingly, I'm told that funny bone in Dutch translates as 'telephone bone' because it feels like it 'rings' when you hit it.
1 person likes this
