cubital tunnel syndrome
n.— «Orthopedic specialists around the globe are seeing the worldwide strike of a new condition known as cubital tunnel syndrome (commonly called cell phone elbow) that can potentially cause long-term nerve damage. When the elbow is bent to allow for holding a cell phone to the ear, the nerve that extends underneath the funny bone and controls the smallest fingers is stretched. Dr. Peter J. Evans, the director of the Hand and Upper Extremity Center at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, explains that long conversations with the elbow in the bent position can “choke the blood supply to the nerves. It makes the nerves short-circuit. The next thing you know there’s tingling in the ring and small finger.”» —“Out with Carpal Tunnel, In with Cell Phone Elbow Syndrome” by Drucilla Dyess Health News June 5, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A listener remembers her grandmother’s colorful comment when someone arrived late after getting lost: You went around your elbow to get to your thumb. Lots of similar sayings in English suggest roundabout routes or overcomplicated tasks, including...
Martha shares a funny story about her five-year-old great-niece, who misunderstood the name of her adopted home state, California. Then again, Unicornia does have a nice ring to it. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The...