Suffering from Saturday Night Paralysis Syndrome just because of sleeping in the wrong position

(Dan Tri) - After waking up, a man (53 years old, Phu Tho) suddenly felt numbness in his entire right hand and forearm, his wrist was hanging down and he could not straighten it... He was diagnosed with Saturday night paralysis syndrome.

The patient said that before that, he was still living and working completely normally, without any injuries or overexertion of the arm area. He had a habit of using his arm as a pillow when sleeping.

The night before he was admitted to the hospital, the patient drank alcohol and went to bed at 9pm, still keeping the habit of using his hand as a pillow. At 2am, he woke up, feeling numbness in his entire right hand and forearm, his wrist was hanging down and could not be straightened, massage did not help. He was then transferred to the Stroke Center, Phu Tho General Hospital.

The patient was admitted to the hospital with weakness in hand extension and finger extension; the hand was always hanging down and could not be extended; the movements of flexing, closing, and contrasting the fingers were slightly affected, accompanied by mild numbness in the area of ​​fingers 1 and 2 on the back of the hand.

The patient was prescribed medical treatment combined with physical therapy and rehabilitation (Photo: Provided by the hospital).

Brain MRI results showed no lesions on the patient's brain parenchyma. Upper limb nerve conduction measurements showed lesions with reduced amplitude of movement in the right radial nerve of the forearm.

Stroke was ruled out as the cause. The patient was diagnosed with right radial nerve palsy due to compression. This is a classic syndrome that has been described in the medical literature as Saturday night palsy. The mechanism involves compression of the radial nerve in the arm or forearm due to compression.

The patient was treated with internal medicine combined with physical therapy and rehabilitation. After 14 days, the hand recovered almost completely, and the patient was able to write straight and beautifully.

What is Saturday night paralysis?

According to Master, Doctor Ta Van Hai, Deputy Head of the Department of Neurology - Subacute Stroke, Stroke Center, Saturday night paralysis is a condition of paralysis of the deep branch of the radial nerve, often occurring when the patient drinks alcohol before going to bed, leading to a deep sleep and not being able to control the sleeping position.

Specifically, they often sleep with their arms crossed over a chair or with their arms under their heads all night or let others rest their heads on their arms all night without changing positions... This condition causes the radial nerve to be compressed and stretched for a long period of time, leading to damage to the radial nerve and the appearance of a drooping hand like the patient above.

In mild cases, the patient only experiences slight weakness and numbness. If treated early and properly, they will recover after 2-4 weeks. In more severe cases, muscle atrophy, joint stiffness, and paralysis can occur, making treatment more difficult and longer.

Dr. Hai advises people:

- Do not rest your head on your arm or lie on your side with your arm pressed against it while sleeping.

- Limit drinking alcohol before bed, which can cause deep sleep and nerve compression.

- Young people should also be careful not to let their hands be used as pillows for others for too long, because compression of the radial nerve can lead to temporary paralysis.

When you see signs of numbness and weakness in the arms and forearms, you should go to a medical facility so that specialists can examine and treat you promptly to avoid leaving any sequelae.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/mac-hoi-chung-liet-dem-thu-7-chi-vi-ngu-sai-tu-the-20250912214958808.htm