What is Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome?

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome is a type of lower limb pain that occurs in one of the four compartments of the leg. It is an overused injury that occurs in individuals that are doing repetitive physical activity like running or jumping. There are four leg compartments, we have the anterior one, lateral, posterior, deep and superficial and those compartments are encased by fascial sheaths that limit the expansion because they lack elasticity. Physical exercise will raise the pressure within the compartment that will cause on swelling and accumulation of fluids in the interstitial space and that all will be limited by the fascia As a consequence there is an impairment on blood flow and pain on exertions that cause as well compression of the neurological structures that will contribute to the clinical symptoms. The clinical presentation is pain when you start the activity and normally will stop when you have stopped the activity for several minutes. This condition is managed conservatively by the physiotherapists and the musculoskeletal podiatrists that can help with gait and stretching exercises, icing and some other therapies. Unfortunately these conditions goes under diagnosed for about two years. In most of the cases it's got to be surgically managed by a vascular surgeon or orthopaedics. The gold standard for this condition for the diagnosis is the striated catheter and the pressure will be measured within the time that the patient is doing the exercise and then in rest. Chin splints and chronic exertional compartment symptoms are often misdiagnosed. Shin spleens they often involve muscle strain and pain on the outer portion of the tibia and with shin spleens the pain normally occurs at the beginning of the activity and afterwards. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome is more severe than shin spleens and normally requires surgical management. A good evaluation and a proper follow-up are are vital for a proper diagnosis of the condition and a good management.