The double-crush phenomenon--an unusual presentation and literature review

The double-crush syndrome was initially described by Upton and McComas in 1973. They postulated that nonsymptomatic impairment of axoplasmic flow at more than one site along a nerve might summate to cause a symptomatic neuropathy. This was suggested by their clinical observation that the majority of their patients had a median or ulnar neuropathy associated with evidence of cervicothoracic root lesions. They also hypothesized that one of the constraints on axoplasmic flow could be a metabolic neuropathy, and this is supported by the high association of diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome. Other researchers have since reported series of patients supporting the frequent association of a proximal and distal nerve compression syndrome, including carpal tunnel syndrome associated with cervical radiculopathy, brachial plexus compression, and diabetic neuropathy. Subsequently, MacKinnon and Dellon have expanded the description of this syndrome to include a) multiple anatomic regions along a peripheral nerve, b) multiple anatomic structures across a peripheral nerve within an anatomic region, c) superimposed on a neuropathy, and d) combinations of the above. We present an unusual case of symptomatic nerve compression caused by two nonanatomic structures within an anatomic region.