There are several common causes of elbow pain and tingling fingers, and these symptoms may occur together or separately. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, the elbow joint is composed of bone, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fluid, and injury to any of these structures can cause elbow problems. Some elbow problems are caused by conditions in the neck and shoulder that cause both elbow pain and tingling fingers.
Cervical Radiculopathy
Cervical radiculopathy can cause elbow pain and tingling fingers. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, cervical radiculopathy is caused by the compression of a nerve root in the neck as it exits the spinal column. Nerve roots—offshoots of the spinal cord—in the neck leave the spinal column and travel down into the arm, supplying sensation or feeling to the skin and electrical signals to certain muscles that allow muscle contraction and upper extremity movement. Cervical spine nerve roots that are compressed by a herniated intervertebral disc or bone spurs, among numerous other causes, can cause pain in the distribution of the affected nerve, often around the elbow, and tingling in certain fingers. Numbness and muscle weakness are also cervical radiculopathy-related symptoms, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Thoracic outlet syndrome may cause elbow and forearm pain or discomfort and tingling fingers. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, or NINDS—a division of the National Institutes of Health—states that thoracic outlet syndrome is caused by compression of the brachial plexus, which is a complex arrangement of nerve fibers, or subclavian blood vessels as they travel through a narrow outlet leading from the base of the neck to the axilla or armpit and arm. NINDS notes that there are three types of thoracic outlet syndrome, each with its own unique set of symptoms: neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, vascular thoracic outlet syndrome and non-specific thoracic outlet syndrome. According to NINDS, thoracic outlet syndrome is more common in women, and usually manifests in people between the ages of 20 and 50.
Ulnar Nerve Entrapment
Ulnar nerve entrapment can be a source of elbow pain or discomfort and tingling in the fingers. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS, ulnar nerve entrapment is caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve—one of several large nerves that course through the arm. The ulnar nerve gives sensation to the little finger and half of the ring finger, and controls most of the small muscles of the hand that assist fine motor movements. The AAOS states that although there are several locations in the arm where the ulnar nerve can become entrapped, the most common location is behind the elbow. The most common symptoms associated with ulnar nerve entrapment behind the elbow include a pins and needles or tingling sensation in the ring and little fingers, especially when the elbow is bent, and an aching pain on the inside portion of the elbow or the side of the elbow that's closest to the body when the arm is dangled at the side of the body and the palms are facing forward.
