Syndrome "wedding night" or what is neuropathy of the radial nerve

What could be more romantic in the life of a man and  women than their wedding night. Tired newlyweds are finally freed from the annoying attention of relatives and friends, retire to their bedroom or honeymoon suite and make love. The newly-made husband gently embraces his wife, whose head rests on his shoulder, and they calmly fall asleep. And the first morning of family life begins for the young with an unpleasant surprise: the young husband cannot move his hand, on which his wife was sleeping peacefully a couple of minutes ago. This is the neuropathy of the radial nerve – unpleasant "wedding night" syndrome.

Symptoms and treatment of compression neuropathy of the radial nerve

Neuropathy of the radial nerve is one of the most common pathologies of the nerves of the upper limb. The radial nerve, which is affected in this pathology, innervates the triceps, the ulnar muscle and some muscles of the hand responsible for the extension of the upper limb. In addition to motor fibers, the radial nerve also has sensory fibers that innervate the skin in some parts of the hand. With neuropathy of the radial nerve due to its prolonged compression, both the motor and sensory functions of the upper limb are disturbed. At the same time, patients experience extremely unpleasant symptoms: loss of motor and sensory functions.

Radial neuropathy:

• why does radial neuropathy occur;
• main symptoms of the wedding night syndrome;
• methods of treatment of radial nerve neuropathy.

Why does radial neuropathy occur

The main cause of radial nerve neuropathy is prolonged compression of the nerve in a certain area of ​​it – This is the so-called compression neuropathy. Most often, the syndrome occurs in the morning after sleeping in an uncomfortable position, when the patient's hand is fixed in one position for a long time. Often this condition occurs during deep sleep, against the background of alcohol intoxication or severe fatigue, while the patient practically does not change the position of the body during sleep. Other causes of compressive neuropathy may be compression of the nerve by a crutch or tourniquet, injury to the nerve during improper injection into the shoulder area, or abnormal location of the radial nerve.

The main symptoms of the wedding night syndrome

The severity of the clinical picture of compression neuropathy of the radial nerve depends on the level at which the nerve lesion occurred. Motor disorders come to the fore: the patient cannot straighten the hand, as a result of which the so-called « hanging» brush – when raising the hand, the hand hangs down, the patient also cannot move the thumb to the side.  Extension and supination of the forearm may be disturbed, weakening of the flexion of the arm in the elbow joint, loss of the elbow extensor reflex may occur. In some cases, there is a violation of the sensitivity of the fingers in the form of paresthesia or numbness. Pain in compression neuropathy of the radial nerve occurs quite rarely.

Methods of treatment of radial nerve neuropathy

The treatment of radial neuropathy requires an integrated approach, as depending on the duration and level of compression, the consequences can be very serious for the patient. Often, the elimination of the provoking factor, under the condition of a short duration of compression, leads to the restoration of the functions of the hand. Etiopathogenetic treatment of pathology consists in the appointment of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and decongestant drugs, as well as detoxification of the body by intravenous administration of saline with glucose. To restore the functions of the hand, massages, physiotherapy exercises and electromyostimulation are recommended. In particularly difficult cases, they resort to surgical treatment: performs neurolysis and plastic surgery of the radial nerve.