Tinel's sign at the elbow suggests irritation of which nerve?

• A. Axillary nerve
• B. Ulnar nerve
• C. Median nerve
• D. Radial nerve

Answer: (B)

Tinel's sign at the elbow taps the nerve where it passes behind the medial epicondyle in the cubital tunnel. If the ulnar nerve is irritated or compressed there, tapping will reproduce tingling or paresthesias in the ulnar distribution—the little finger and the ulnar side of the ring finger—because that nerve supplies sensation to those areas. The ulnar nerve is the one that most commonly becomes irritated at the elbow, as in cubital tunnel syndrome. The other nerves have different pathways and sensory areas, so tapping at the elbow would not typically produce the same distribution of symptoms for them.