In the protection phase of cubital tunnel syndrome treatment, the elbow is splinted at 70-90 degrees of flexion along with which additional care components?

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The protection phase aims to minimize nerve tension while allowing healing and preventing stiffness in other parts of the limb. Splinting the elbow at 70-90 degrees of flexion reduces traction on the ulnar nerve at the medial elbow, creating a neutral, protected position that supports recovery.

Including wound care ensures proper healing of any incision or entry point, edema control helps decrease swelling and pressure around the nerve, pain management makes the protection period tolerable and promotes compliance, and active range of motion of uninvolved joints preserves overall limb mobility and circulation without stressing the elbow. This combination directly supports healing of the irritated ulnar nerve while maintaining overall joint health.

Other options don’t align with protecting the nerve: allowing full elbow ROM could aggravate symptoms; immobilizing the shoulder with wrist strengthening ignores the elbow nerve entrapment; and skipping immobilization in favor of heavy gripping would increase nerve stress.