مقاله تخصصی
compartment syndrome; Causes, symptoms and treatment
3 months ago
570 بازدید
Dr. Mohammad Hossein Delshad
تهرانpain companions
Compartment syndrome is a type of neuromuscular disease that causes painful conditions for the patient... There is a possibility of contracting this disease in all people... but it is usually seen more in athletes, including runners.
Usually, this condition can be treated by visiting a pain specialist without the need for surgery with the most up-to-date techniques. Only in rare cases when the patient does not improve with non-surgical methods, surgery is finally recommended.
compartment syndrome What is it?.. When the pressure inside and around the muscles increases, compartment syndrome occurs.. The pressure is painful and can be dangerous.
In case of contracting this disease, the flow of oxygen, blood and nutrients is limited to the nerves and muscles... If not followed up and treated, it will lead to serious injury and even death.
Most of the time, this condition occurs in the lower leg.. but sometimes it affects other parts of the leg, arms, hands, buttocks and stomach.
familiarity with different types of compartment syndrome
There are two types of compartment syndrome as follows:
### acute type
Usually, this type occurs after a serious injury and can lead to an emergency....If left untreated, it causes permanent damage to the muscles, potentially leading to more serious problems such as disability, paralysis, and even death.
### chronic type
This is usually not an emergency....most often occurs after physical activity such as vigorous athletic activity.
Know the signs
Limbs have several parts or muscle parts. For example, the leg is made up of four parts or parts.
This syndrome is usually observed in the same part of the affected limb, on both sides of the body.. This injury occurs mostly in the lower part of the leg.
Among the symptoms of this disease, the following can be mentioned:
- feeling of pain, burning or cramping in the affected part of the body
- Weakness in the affected limb
- edema or swelling following a muscle hernia
- leg drop in severe cases (if the legs are affected)
If this syndrome is of chronic type, usually this pattern of pain is present in patients:
- After starting the exercise with the injured limb, after a certain period of time or traveling a distance, the feeling of pain starts.
- The pain gradually worsens with exercise.
- Within a quarter of an hour after stopping the activity, the pain decreases or disappears completely.
- With the passage of time, the duration of recovery after exercise increases.
Quitting exercise or doing less intense activity will relieve your symptoms...but usually you'll get temporary relief...for example, when you start running, the symptoms will come back.
When you should see a doctor
If you have symptoms such as swelling, weakness, numbness or frequent pain during exercise, you should consult your doctor.... Sometimes this condition is confused with conditions such as shin splints....
Leg splint is one of the most common causes of leg pain in young people, which occurs after intense activities such as running.. cause of compartment syndrome
Serious injury or intense physical activity can lead to swelling or bleeding in the compartment... the fascia does not expand to create space... so the swelling and bleeding in this area puts pressure on the nerves and muscles.
If the pressure increases, the tissues do not receive enough blood containing oxygen and nutrients, and eventually there is a possibility of death of this tissue or permanent damage to this area.
As a result, ignoring the symptoms and in general this disease can be very threatening for a person.
What injuries can cause compartment syndrome?
Examples of injuries that eventually lead to the possibility of this syndrome are as follows:
- high intensity of bruising in the muscle
- Traffic accidents
- A heavy object falls on you
- bone fracture
- Sudden return of blood flow after blood flow obstruction such as loss of consciousness or surgery
- anabolic steroid (compartment syndrome is possible with a rapid increase in muscle size)
Other possible reasons can be a cast or a bandage that is wide and tight and covered for a long time.
risk factors
Some factors increase the possibility of contracting this disease:
### age
Although there is a possibility of contracting this disease at any age; But this disease is very common in male and female athletes under the age of 30.
### Exercise Type
Frequent high impact activities such as running doubles the risk of developing this disease.
### Excessive exercise
Severe or frequent exercise increases the risk of this syndrome.
Related content: Patellofemoral; Runner's knee syndrome
What is the treatment of compartment syndrome?
The treatment that is considered for this disease is different depending on its type and severity, which we will explain each.
### Acute type:
As we said, in this type, immediate treatment must be done for the patient.... To start the treatment, the surgeon performs an operation called fasciotomy for the patient.... After relieving the pressure and swelling, the surgeon closes the incision.... In general, the surgical process can be different for each person.
### Exercise or chronic compartment syndrome:
If you stop exercising, this disease will also disappear, of course, you should also consult a doctor.... Possible treatment strategies are as follows:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs such as non-steroidal drugs
- Different exercises (a combination of different types of exercises instead of repeating a task or exercise)
- sports activity with low intensity
- Using orthotics for shoes
- Physiotherapy
- Choosing soft surfaces to perform exercises
How is compartment syndrome diagnosed?
When you visit a pain specialist, he will consider solutions to diagnose this condition for you:
- Physical examination
- X-ray
- Pressure measurement (putting a needle into the muscle)
- Remeasurement of pressure after training
What are the complications of compartment syndrome?
Chronic compartment syndrome is usually not a threatening condition and if you consider proper treatment, you will not have a problem.. but the weakness, pain or numbness associated with this disease will prevent you from continuing your sports training.
How to avoid
You can avoid this complication in the following ways:
- Avoid excessive muscle exercise
- Improve flexibility
- Changing body position during exercise
- Provision of suitable shoes during training
- Exercise on softer surfaces
