The patient ... presents holding the affected hand and wrist with his good hand, complaining of decreased or absent sensation on the radial and dorsal side of his hand and wrist, and of inability to extend his wrist, thumb and finger joints...
...This neuropathy is produced by compression of the radial nerve as it spirals around the humerus. Most commonly it occurs when a person falls asleep, intoxicated, held up by his arm thrown over the back of a chair. Less severe forms may befall the swain who keeps his arm on his date's chair back for an entire double feature, ignoring the growing pain and paresis.
Saturday Night Palsy inspired an Australian rock song. And, I should note that an interesting alternative explanation for the term has been proposed.)
Now, in my final weeks of med school, I've come across Thursday afternoon palsy, more commonly known as Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment, or meralgia parasthetica:
The lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh passes from the lateral border of psoas major across the iliac fossa to pierce the inguinal ligament. It travels in a fibrous tunnel medial to the anterior superior iliac spine and enters the thigh deep to the fascia lata before continuing distally into the subcutaneous tissues.
Compression of the nerve as it passes through the inguinal ligament or as it pierces the fascia lata causes meralgia paraesthetica.
Characteristically, the patient complains of a burning or stinging sensation in the distribution of the nerve over the anterolateral aspect of the thigh. This is aggravated by walking or standing; it is relieved by lying down with the hip flexed.
It was apparently called Thursday afternoon palsy because that was the time of the week women would gather, sit, have tea, eat crumpets, play bridge, I don't know. The combination of sitting with the legs crossed, in a corset, would cause the entrapment symptoms.
It's only a matter of time before someone describes generalized post-match palsy.