Intensive use of the muscles in the anterior or lateral compartments of the leg may increase the pressure within these spaces. A significant increases in intracompartmental pressure may lead to disturbances in the circulation of the enclosed muscles. In these instances, an objective measure of intracompartmental pressure may assist the physician in the evaluation of a possible chronic compartment syndrome.
Intracompartmental pressure in the leg was measured continuously during running in five patients who had an anterior chronic compartment syndrome using the wick catheter technique. All of the patients were athletes and had pain with exercise. The average pre-exercise pressure in the anterior compartment was ten millimeters of mercury. However, the intracompartmental pressure was increased during running to sixty-three millimeters of mercury on the average. After fasciotomy complete relief of pain has been obtained in all of the patients.