Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

Dear Ask The Doctor: I am in serious need of reassurance. I am a classical guitarist and have been playing for seven years. This past year beginning in January I began experiencing cubital tunnel syndrome which worsened over the course of the year. After having to cancel the reamaining of my auditions and concerts the rest of the year, I decided that the only option was surgery. I was told tht it would completely relieve symptoms and recovery time would be under a week. Up until tht point I had been following an extremely regimented practice recover program which involved intervals of practice and rest and then icing both arms when finished. None of this seemed to be working so surgery naturally seemed like a logical action. almost three months later I am still experiencing the problems, have developed carpal tunnel syndrome, and haev been working with the best physical therapists and orthopedics doctor in the state. I have gone to great lengths to make sure that I am not bending my wrists in any unnatural positions or aggravating the ulnar and median nerves in any other activities. I feel I have done everything I can at this point besides giving up playing for good, which is not an option. My question is if you can tell me if you think it is possible for a musician to expect the same performance from their bodies after a surgery as someone who has not. If not now, is there any hope in the future of being able to play uninhibited by nerve problems or residual side effects from surgery? I feel like I have been sorely mislead. The biggest aspect of my regret comes from the fact that I believe I may have acted too quickly in deciding to have the surgery. Do you know of any other musicians who have had similar problems and had surgery from which they recovered? I have heard amazing recovery stories, none of which involve surgery. This is extremely disheartening and I am searching for an answer.

Dear Abby: Cubital tunnel syndrome is fairly common problem and most persons recover completely from it and return to their normal lives. You should be no different. Surgery is usually reserved for patients who fail non-operative management which I assumed did not work for you. There are different surgical procedures which can be done to treat the condition. The fact that you are still experiencing symptoms after surgery may mean that you will need a second operation. This option should only be explored after you have completed your physical therapy rehabilitation. Please not that physical therapy may involve not playing the guitar for a while.