Nerve Compression Injuries

These injuries occur when external pressure on an extremity damages a peripheral nerve. For example, patients may fall asleep with their arm draped over the back of a chair, resulting in a compression nerve injury of the upper arm ("Saturday night palsy"). Some patients may awaken from surgical procedures with nerve injuries due to compression from table edges or surfaces ("intraoperative positioning injuries"). Compression injuries typically heal on their own, rarely requiring surgical repair.