Ulnar nerve compression at the elbow may be post-traumatic or non-traumatic in origin. The trauma may be a single event, but is more commonly due to mild repetitive injuries. Those cases of non-traumatic origin are often associated with employment that requires repeated elbow flexion and/or extension, or resting on the elbows for prolonged periods of time.
Spontaneous subluxation of the ulnar nerve out of the cubital tunnel may also occur, aggravating symptoms of entrapment because of the rubbing action exerted by the bony surfaces.