A 45-year-old woman with a history of Hashimoto's thyroiditis presents with a 3 cm hard nodule in the right lobe of the thyroid. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) shows follicular cells with increased mitotic activity and vascular invasion. She undergoes total thyroidectomy. Intraoperatively, the surgeon identifies the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) and carefully dissects it. However, postoperatively, the patient develops hoarseness and stridor. Laryngoscopy reveals left vocal cord paralysis in the paramedian position. Which of the following best explains the mechanism of nerve injury in this case?