Why does hitting your “funny bone” feel like that?
📓 The short answer
When you hit your “funny bone” at the right angle, you are hitting the ulnar nerve, one of the three primary nerves in your arm. The pain you’re feeling is the pain of the actual nerve getting pressed.
📚 The long answer
The “funny bone” sensation is felt when you hit your bent elbow at a channel called the cubital tunnel. This is a particularly vulnerable spot for the nerve as its protection is limited to a thin layer of skin and fat. When you hit your “funny bone” at just the right angle, you are squishing your ulnar nerve — the nerve that connects to the muscles of the forearm, hand, and ring and pinky fingers — into your medial epicondyle bone.
The reason why this feels different than the pain of stubbing your toe, e.g., is because it’s simply a different pain sensation. Stubbing your toe results in nociceptive pain which is when the surrounding nerves signal to your brain to inform you to stop stubbing your toe. The “funny bone” feeling is actual nerve pain and results in a stinging, numbing, and/or electric type of pain.
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Sources
- McCallum, K. (2021, February 24). Why Does Hitting Your Funny Bone Hurt So Much? Houston Methodist: On Health. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2021/feb/why-does-hitting-your-funny-bone-hurt-so-much/
- Neurosurgical Associates of Central Jersey. (2017, May 15). The Funny Bone (aka the Ulnar Nerve) Is No Laughing Matter. Neurosurgical Associates of Central Jersey. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://neurosurgerycnj.com/the-funny-bone-aka-the-ulnar-nerve-is-no-laughing-matter/
