Compartment Pressure Testing
What is Compartment Pressure Testing?
Compartment pressure testing is a method of testing the pressure inside the different compartments of the leg or arm.
What is Compartment Syndrome?
Leg pain during activity is common and can cause significant interruption to activity levels. One of the well recognized causes of this can be “chronic exertional compartment syndrome,” where we usually see a gradual increase in lower leg pain during continuous exercise to a point when the athlete has to stop. Pain then takes between minutes to hours to resolve. With this one often has a sensation of hardness or tightness / pressure in their legs, and occasionally will notice swelling in the muscles. This condition is often suspected clinically and confirmed by performing a compartment pressure test.
Your Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician will perform a simple injection of local anaesthetic to the muscle compartments where you experience your pain and following reproduction of pain on the treadmill a small pressure gauge needle is introduced to the painful area. This is essentially a small needle, and with the aid of local anaesthetic, is a simple and often only mildly uncomfortable, procedure.
The test is very safe, but complications can occur such as minor bruising which your physician will discuss with you prior to the procedure. The test takes about one hour in total, and typically you are able to drive after the test is completed without concern.
If you, or your GP / Orthopaedic Surgeon / Physio suspects you may suffer from Exertional Compartment Syndrome, we will review you in the clinic to discuss the testing procedure and ensure the diagnosis is likely correct before proceeding. Once confirmed and depending on severity, location, and contributing biomechanics, treatment may range from involving simple gait, loading, and biomechanical changes, or a simple surgical operation (fasciotomy) performed by our orthopaedic colleagues in severe / persistent cases.
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