I had transaxillary left rib resection about two weeks ago and I have developed pain and hypersensitivity/tenderness which seems to be centered at the elbow/cubital tunnel. Pain is radiating from the elbow to the wrist and pinkie. The problem is most apparent when I wake up in the morning (or the middle of the night) as well as at night as the day progresses. I feel better during the day after I've showered.

I spoke to my neurologist and he believes this is positional ulnar neuropathy. I've been sleeping on my right side with a pillow tucked under my left arm with elbow bent and hand near my face holding the pillow. Sleeping with a bent elbow likes this can stretch/stress the nerve at the cubital tunnel. Having ulnar nerve compression at the brachial plexus (or in my case, recent neurolysis and residual neural inflammation) can predispose us to this occurrence. His advice is to avoid sleeping with elbow bent extremely and the issue should resolve over time.

I'm going to try sleeping in pocketed boxer shorts with my hand in the pocket to avoid the bent elbow while sleeping. We'll see how the next couple of days go.