Upper extremity nerve entrapments

Nerve entrapment occurs when a nerve is "trapped" by pathologic changes in the tissues through which the nerve passes. Nerve entrapments occur more frequently in the upper than in the lower extremities and are characterized by pain and paresthesias, with or without sensory and/or motor nerve loss. The major pathologies related to upper extremity nerve entrapment involving the cervical, thoracic, shoulder, elbow, and wrist areas are discussed in this article.