The Funny Bone

The funny bone, actually, is not a bone at all. When you hit your funny bone, you are hitting a nerve (the ulnar nerve) that runs behind your elbow. The ulnar nerve is just under the skin behind the elbow, and when you hit it...pain and tingling shoot down your forearm and hand, and into your ring and pinky fingers.

The ulnar nerve can also be chonically irritated behind the elbow; this is a condition called cubital tunnel syndrome. The symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome, and a hit funny bone are actually not too different--only the funny bone symptoms go away quickly and cubital tunnel syndrome can be a persistent problem.