Symptoms
How We Can Help You for Compartment Syndrome
Our doctors have the specialized training and experience needed to detect and effectively treat all forms of compartment syndrome, where swelling or bleeding causes pressure to build in the areas of your arms and legs where nerves, blood vessels, and muscles are also located.
Acute cases usually result from a severe injury and need immediate medical attention. Chronic cases are usually less serious and more common, especially among athletes.
To relieve symptoms such as pain, muscle tightness, and numbness, and to prevent complications, our specialists provide the latest treatments, always emphasizing the least invasive approach possible. Whenever needed, we also offer the latest, most innovative surgical procedures. Our team develops a care plan personalized to your unique condition and needs. Our goal is to help you get back to a healthy, active life as quickly and safely as possible.
In addition, Stanford Health Care patients with compartment syndrome may have opportunities to join research studies of new treatments not yet available anywhere else.
What We Offer You for Compartment Syndrome
- Specialized expertise from one of the world’s leading programs focused on diagnosing and treating acute and chronic compartment syndrome.
- Team-based treatment planning that brings together highly experienced specialists who create a comprehensive care plan personalized to your unique needs.
- Advanced treatment options, always emphasizing the least invasive approaches possible but also providing state-of-the-art surgery whenever needed.
- Full support that includes care planning and follow-up as well as strategies to prevent your condition from getting worse.
- Clinical trial opportunities to join research studies of new innovations in the management of compartment syndrome.
- Ease of access with highly trained specialists conveniently located close to where you work or live.
Treatments for Compartment Syndrome
Compartment syndrome is pressure, caused by swelling or bleeding, that builds up inside muscle compartments. These “pockets” in your arms and legs house nerves, blood vessels, and muscles, held in place by a tough membrane (fascia).
Acute compartment syndrome, which usually results from a severe injury, requires immediate medical attention. The chronic type is a less serious condition that many athletes develop due to repetitive movements in exercise.
Stanford’s orthopaedic trauma surgeons work as a team to identify and treat compartment syndrome quickly and accurately. With decades of experience in trauma surgery, our surgeons offer the latest surgical techniques to treat acute compartment syndrome and prevent complications. For chronic compartment syndrome, we provide a full range of nonsurgical options to help you get back to a healthy, active life.
Stanford’s orthopaedic and trauma surgeons have decades of experience treating people with compartment syndrome to prevent complications.
Nonsurgical Treatment
Surgery
In most cases, our specialists can treat chronic compartment syndrome with nonsurgical methods, including some lifestyle modifications. You may need one or more options such as:
Rest
Temporarily discontinue the activity causing pain to let your muscles rest.
Low-impact exercise
Change the type of surface you exercise on to lower the impact to your muscles. You can also modify your activities to reduce impact.
Physical therapy
Our physical therapy specialists can teach you exercises and stretches using the proper form to improve your flexibility and strength.
Footwear
Wear well-fitting shoes or orthotics (shoe inserts) to properly support your feet and leg muscles.
Medicine
Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen to reduce pain and swelling.
Acute compartment syndrome
Surgery is the only way to effectively relieve swelling and pressure with acute compartment syndrome. As soon as our team has confirmed the diagnosis, we perform an emergency fasciotomy, surgery to open the skin and fascia covering the affected muscle compartment. Once the swelling and pressure decrease, your surgeon repairs the incision.
Chronic compartment syndrome
In rare cases, chronic compartment syndrome may require surgery. Our experts modify the procedure we use to treat acute compartment syndrome, a fasciotomy, by using a smaller incision.
In most cases, our specialists can treat chronic compartment syndrome with nonsurgical methods, including some lifestyle modifications. You may need one or more options such as:
Rest
Temporarily discontinue the activity causing pain to let your muscles rest.
Low-impact exercise
Change the type of surface you exercise on to lower the impact to your muscles. You can also modify your activities to reduce impact.
Physical therapy
Our physical therapy specialists can teach you exercises and stretches using the proper form to improve your flexibility and strength.
Footwear
Wear well-fitting shoes or orthotics (shoe inserts) to properly support your feet and leg muscles.
Medicine
Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen to reduce pain and swelling.
close Nonsurgical Treatment
Acute compartment syndrome
Surgery is the only way to effectively relieve swelling and pressure with acute compartment syndrome. As soon as our team has confirmed the diagnosis, we perform an emergency fasciotomy, surgery to open the skin and fascia covering the affected muscle compartment. Once the swelling and pressure decrease, your surgeon repairs the incision.
Chronic compartment syndrome
In rare cases, chronic compartment syndrome may require surgery. Our experts modify the procedure we use to treat acute compartment syndrome, a fasciotomy, by using a smaller incision.
close Surgery
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Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may be eligible to participate in open clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies that are currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants in the near future.
What is Compartment Syndrome?
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