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Stuff About Compartment Syndrome...

Saturday, 07 May 2016 00:10

By Dr. Michael Williams

Compartment syndrome is a condition that usually effects either the lower leg or the forearm. These areas of the body are broken up into compartments by fascia and each compartment contains, muscles, nerves, and arteries. Compartment syndrome occurs when the pressure inside one of these compartments rises and causes symptoms, inadequate blood flow, or nerve compression. Compartment syndrome can be broken up into two different types: acute and chronic.

Acute Compartment Syndrome is a sudden and dramatic increase in the pressure of a compartment. This usually results from a crushing trauma, a burn injury, prolonged over-tight...

bandaging, or post-surgery. The dramatic rise in pressure causes severe pain and compression of nerves and arteries. Acute compartment syndrome is a life-threatening emergency and needs to be corrected by surgically puncturing the fascia that borders the compartment.

Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS) is a chronic, non-emergency type of compartment syndrome. It occurs when exercises increases the pressure inside a compartment and causes symptoms. Symptoms of CECS include:

                  Aching, burning or cramping in the affected limb

                  Numbness or tingling

                  Weakness of the affected limb

                  Swelling in the affected limb

CECS usually follows a pattern where the symptoms begin soon after (within 30 minutes) of starting exercise and progressively worsens if you continue. Further, this will subside within 30 minutes of stopping exercise. CECS often goes away if an athlete stops their aggravating activity but usually comes back no matter how long of a break they take. Some cases of CECS will require a surgery called a fasciotomy where a small hole is cut in the fascia to relieve pressure; however, many cases are relieved by conservative measures such as deep tissue massage, instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM), and active release. It is important to be evaluated if you are experiencing these symptoms to rule out other causes of pain such as medial tibial stress syndrome or radiating pain from the low back. If you have questions about CECS Contact me today.

Dr. Michael Williams DC, CCSP, CSCS, FMT, GT