A Japanese woman escaped serious complications, including myonecrosis, following a simple elbow dislocation that morphed into acute compartment syndrome, doctors report.

The case also highlights how peripheral nerve block can mask early signs of the surgical emergency, say the orthopaedic surgeons from Yonemori Hospital in Kagoshima, Japan.

Their 40-year-old patient with a history of hypertension had been standing on a folding chair when she fell and became caught in the chair, injuring her left elbow.

The joint was severely swollen with no wound and no hand motion or sensation problems.