What's Sooooo Funny?
Why is it called a “funny bone” when it’s not a bone and isn’t funny when you hit it?
You know the sensation; you hit your elbow on a hard surface and you feel shooting pains or a “tingling” sensation down the length of your arm to your fingers. What causes that?
The humerous is the upper arm bone that connects your shoulder to your elbow. At the elbow, it joins with the two more bones, the radius and the ulna. The ulnar nerve lies in a ridge along the ulna bone. It controls the movement in your wrist, ring finger and pinky.
Since there is very little muscle around the elbow, the ulnar nerve is close to the surface of the skin. So, when you hit your “funny bone” you are actually hitting the ulnar nerve, which sends a pins and needles sensation from your elbow, down your forearm, and into your wrist and fingers. Which is rarely funny!
Practice Member Login
Dr. John Asks...
