Case Study on Compartment Syndrome
A Case Study on Compartment Syndrome of the Forearm in a soccer player
Objective: To describe the evaluation, diagnosis, and current treatment of a men’s soccer player with compartment syndrome of the forearm.
Background: The forearm is the most common site for compartment syndrome in the upper extremity. The compartments of the forearm include the volar (anterior or flexor), and the dorsal (posterior or exterior). Both bone forearm fractures and distal radius fractures are common initial injuries that lead to acute forearm compartment syndrome. The flexor digitorum profundus and flexor pollicis longus are among the most severely affected muscles because of their deep location, closest to the bone.
Differential Diagnosis: Other possible injuries and conditions which need to be ruled out include stress fractures and fractures of the radius and ulna.
Treatment: The treatment goal, as with most athletic injuries, is to restore the athlete’s injury, pain free, with functional abilities similar to that prior to the injury. We aimed to restore circulation to the compartment through decompression. The main treatment the athlete endured was ultrasound modality, allowing the tissue to heal.
Uniqueness: Acute compartment syndrome in most common in the legs. The incidence of compartment syndrome is greatest where there are smaller compartments enveloped in tight sheath, which include the forearm and the lower leg.
Conclusion: The prognosis depends on the intensity and duration of the compartment pressure. Acute compartment syndrome results from fluid pressure in a closed compartment. If left untreated, it can lead to more severe conditions including rhabdonyolysis and kidney failure, potentially leading to death.
Personal data/ Signs and Symptoms The athlete is a 20-year-old male soccer player for Kansas Wesleyan University. He is 5 foot 11 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. The athlete was slide tackling for a ball when an opposing player
Objective: To describe the evaluation, diagnosis, and current treatment of a men’s soccer player with compartment syndrome of the forearm.
Background: The forearm is the most common site for compartment syndrome in the upper extremity. The compartments of the forearm include the volar (anterior or flexor), and the dorsal (posterior or exterior). Both bone forearm fractures and distal radius fractures are common initial injuries that lead to acute forearm compartment syndrome. The flexor digitorum profundus and flexor pollicis longus are among the most severely affected muscles because of their deep location, closest to the bone.
Differential Diagnosis: Other possible injuries and conditions which need to be ruled out include stress fractures and fractures of the radius and ulna.
Treatment: The treatment goal, as with most athletic injuries, is to restore the athlete’s injury, pain free, with functional abilities similar to that prior to the injury. We aimed to restore circulation to the compartment through decompression. The main treatment the athlete endured was ultrasound modality, allowing the tissue to heal.
Uniqueness: Acute compartment syndrome in most common in the legs. The incidence of compartment syndrome is greatest where there are smaller compartments enveloped in tight sheath, which include the forearm and the lower leg.
Conclusion: The prognosis depends on the intensity and duration of the compartment pressure. Acute compartment syndrome results from fluid pressure in a closed compartment. If left untreated, it can lead to more severe conditions including rhabdonyolysis and kidney failure, potentially leading to death.
Personal data/ Signs and Symptoms The athlete is a 20-year-old male soccer player for Kansas Wesleyan University. He is 5 foot 11 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. The athlete was slide tackling for a ball when an opposing player