The ulnar nerve (scientific name for “funny bone”) is a huge nerve that
extends from your elbow to your hand. It lies directly under the skin on
your arm. Usually nerves like that are protected under muscles. The
ulnar nerve isn’t protected near the elbow. There’s only a thin layer of
skin there to shield it from pain.
So why is it the funny bone, if it’s clearly not funny at all? One
theory is that since the bone that extends from the elbow to the
shoulder is called the humerus, the name “funny bone” was used as
a bad joke. More likely, though, the “funny” in “funny bone” just means
odd. As in, it’s really odd that one little nerve can hurt so bad.
