The UCL, or Ulnar Collateral Ligament, is a ligament on the pinky (medial or ulnar) side of the elbow providing stability to the elbow joint, especially during a throwing motion, when the medial side of the elbow is under an enormous amount of stress. When the UCL is torn, there is nothing bracing the medial side of the elbow or keeping it from stretching or opening under stress.

A UCL injury or tear leads to symptoms of elbow pain, swelling, feelings of instability, and often numbness, tingling, or a “funny bone” sensation due to the proximity of the ulnar nerve (the “funny bone” nerve) to the UCL.​

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The UCL can be torn in a few ways, though most often it is torn via a throwing mechanism (such as when pitching a baseball). An examination in the office as well as MRI imaging will confirm the presence of a torn UCL.

UCL injuries can vary:

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• For UCL sprains or low grade/partial thickness tears, treatment is usually conservative in nature and includes rest from throwing, ice, anti inflammatories, and physical therapy.

• For a chronic low grade UCL tear which has not improved with conservative treatment measures or high grade/full thickness tears, Dr. Bedford may recommend surgical reconstruction of the UCL.​

• Chronic UCL injuries leading to instability of the elbow and over-stretching of the inside (ulnar/medial) side of the elbow can cause ulnar nerve irritation, or “funny bone” sensations such as numbness and tingling down the forearm into the pinky and/or ring finger on the affected arm. If these symptoms persist despite conservative treatment measures, Dr. Bedford may recommend surgical UCL reconstruction to restore stability to the elbow to offload the ulnar nerve.​​