Muscle Atrophy at Presentation of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: Demographics and Duration of Symptoms

Background: The purpose of this study is to describe the demographics and duration of symptoms of patients with cubital tunnel syndrome who present with muscle atrophy. Methods: We identified 146 patients who presented to the hand surgery clinic at a single institution over a 5-year period with an initial diagnosis of cubital tunnel syndrome based on history and physical examination. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed to determine if there was a difference in demographic data, physical examination findings, and duration of symptoms in patients who presented with muscle atrophy from those with sensory complaints alone. Results: A total of 17/146 (11.6%) of patients presented with muscle atrophy, all of which were men. In all, 17.2% of men presented with atrophy. Age by itself was not a predictor of presentation with atrophy; however, younger patients with atrophy presented with significantly shorter duration of symptoms. Patients under the age of 29 years presenting with muscle atrophy on average had symptoms for 2.4 months compared with 16.2 months of symptoms for those over 55 years of age. Conclusions: Men with cubital tunnel syndrome are more likely to present with muscle atrophy than women. Age is not necessarily a predictor of presentation with atrophy. There is a subset population of younger patients who presents with extremely short duration of symptoms that rapidly develops muscle atrophy.