title: Prolonged phone-call posture causes changes of ulnar motor nerve conduction across elbow.
abstract: Postures and work-hobby activities may play a role in the origin and progression of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE), whose occurrence appears to be increasing. The time spent on mobile-phone has increased in the last decades leading to an increased time spent with flexed elbow (prolonged-phone-posture, PPP). We aimed to assess the effect of PPP both in patients with symptoms of UNE and in symptom-free subjects.
  
  
  
  Patients with pure sensory symptoms of UNE and negative neurophysiological tests (MIN-UNE) and symptom-free subjects were enrolled. We evaluated ulnar motor nerve conduction velocity across elbow at baseline and after 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18min of PPP in both groups. Fifty-six symptom-free subjects and fifty-eight patients were enrolled. Globally 186 ulnar nerves from 114 subjects were studied.
  
  
  
  Conduction velocity of ulnar nerve across the elbow significantly changed over PPP time in patients with MIN-UNE, showing a different evolution between the two groups.
  
  
  
  PPP causes a modification of ulnar nerve functionality in patients with MIN-UNE.
  
  
  
  PPP may cause transient stress of ulnar nerve at elbow.
authors.affiliation: Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Piazzale Morandi 6, 20100 Milan, Italy; Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: lpadua@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Padua
authors.affiliation: Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Piazzale Morandi 6, 20100 Milan, Italy; Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Orthopaedic Science, "Sapienza" University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Coraci
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Erra
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Clinical Neurology, University of Sassari, viale san Pietro, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro Emiliano
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Doneddu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Granata
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; IRCCS San Raffaele-Pisana, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo Maria
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rossini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D040421:Cell Phone; D004550:Elbow / Q000294:innervation; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020424:Ulnar Neuropathies / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Epidemiology; Mobile phone; Nerve entrapment syndrome; Neuropathy; Ulnar nerve; Ulnar neuropathy at elbow