Compartment syndrome describes a dangerous accumulation of fluid within a muscular compartment of a limb that can lead to impaired blood flow, decreased oxygen delivery and cell death, in severe cases. This condition is classified as either acute or chronic, with acute often being a medical emergency that requires surgical intervention.

In this video, my friend @evan_ask shows how his leg appears now after suffering an acute compartment syndrome of the quadriceps compartment several years ago. He experienced this injury after receiving a hard check during a hockey game and immediately noticed swelling and sensory and motor changes in his leg. He was rushed to the emergency department of the local hospital where they splayed his thigh open, cutting some of the fascia, which allowed the pressure to drop and prevent any permanent damage to the femoral nerve. This procedure is known as a fasciotomy. His leg was left open for several days to allow intracompartmental pressure to decrease. During this time, blood clots were removed daily by hand and the wound was closely monitored for signs of infection.

Following surgery, rehab focused mainly on regaining knee flexion range of motion. He reports that strength came back without problem, but still has numbness around the incision.

These days, he has no pain or issues with function and competes professionally in motorcycle racing. Pretty cool case!

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