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in Dec 2006, my sone was diagnosied with compartment pressure syndrome in the lower legs, Fasciotomy was done but there has been a recurrence and the surgeon recommends he undergoes surgery again...he is almost immobolised as if he wals for merely 15 to 20 mins his calves are rock solid and where the incision was made earlier there are bulges..he is just 25 yrs. can anyone help:cool:
My 21 old daughter (overweight) has just presented with chronic anterior compartment syndrome in both lower legs. The GP and the Orthopedic surgeon said "cut". The physio and biokinetisist says "don't cut". As she is busy with semester test and tasks (BSc 2nd Year) we are going to wait for seven weeks till the midterm holidays. During this time she is going to undergo intensive physiotherapy and see the biokinetsist for aqua training. Don't now if this will totally replace surgery (according to sources on the net it won't), but what the heck, lets give it a go!
Anterior compartment syndromes arise when a muscle becomes too big for the sheath that surrounds it causing pain. The big muscle on the outside of the shin is called the tibialis anterior and is surrounded by a sheath.
What To Do About It?
If you have been experiencing symptoms of anterior compartment syndrome your first approach to treatment should be to stretch the anterior muscles of your shin. This can be done kneeling on the ground with your toes pointing behind you and the top surface of your foot flat on the ground. Then you can 'sit' down on your heels and lean your body backwards over your feet. You should feel the front of your shins stretching.
Massage is also a useful approach to treatment because if the muscles are chronically tight they will be more prone to swelling.
When chronic cases do not respond to conservative care, fasciotomy is the treatment of choice. This is a surgical procedure where an incision is made along the length of the affected compartment through the fascia to release the pressure. Properly execute surgery has a success rate of close to 90%2. Prior to surgery, a patient would have to meet certain diagnostic criteria whereby pressure measurements are taken at rest and during activity to insure that the procedure is warranted.