Guyon’s canal syndrome

Tingling, numbness, burning pain, and/or hand weakness on the small and ring finger side of your hand is caused by compression of the ulnar nerve.

An infrequent site of compression of the ulnar nerve is in a canal at the front of your wrist in line with your little finger, a condition called Guyon’s canal syndrome. It is sometimes called Handlebar palsy because it is common in cyclists who compress their Guyon’s canal against the handle bars for extensive periods.

Formed by two of your wrist bones (hamate and pisiform bones) and a “roof” of tough fibrous tissue (flexor retinaculum), the space in this narrow tunnel is most frequently compromised by thickening of the retinaculum and/or tendons around the canal, which flex your fingers or wrist.

You can test if the symptoms are coming from your wrist by applying finger pressure over the canal and flexing your wrist and fingers for 60 seconds. If this causes tingling or numbness on the inside of your hand and in your first and second digits it’s a sure sign of Guyon’s canal syndrome.