Effect of Local Steroid Injection for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

Review Article

J Korean Assoc EMG Electrodiagn Med 2016;18(2):43-46.
Published online December 31, 2016.

Received: 2 June 2016 • Revised: 29 August 2016 • Accepted: 29 August 2016

Abstract

Local steroid injection has been shown to be effective in carpal tunnel syndrome at least temporarily and it is also being attempted for conservative treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome recently. However local steroid injection may be effective in reducing nerve inflammation and edema caused by local compression in nerve entrapment syndromes theoretically, hasty conclusions should not be made about effect of local steroid injection in cubital tunnel syndrome because of many differences between carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome in etiopathogenic mechanism and pathophysiology. If local steroid injection is effective in cubital tunnel syndrome, it must be only temporary effect. Moreover, repeated steroid injection can induce adverse effect of nerve atrophy or degenerative change and it can drive patients defer their surgical decompression. Therefore it should be conducted carefully and limitedly in case of ulnar neuritis and mild cubital tunnel syndrome with short symptom duration for temporary relief of symptoms.

Key Words: cubital tunnel syndrome, ulnar nerve, steroid, injection, effect