Compartment Syndrome

[zanzibar138]

Hi all

I lurk often on this section of the boards, and post rarely Nonetheless, I'm hoping that someone might be able to help me with some information.

A bit of background info...

I've been trying to run now for about 18 months (with the aim of participating in this year's Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend). Had never done any running before, and started with the C25K. Although my shins always hurt while I was running, I loved it, and got up to the 4k run. My shins always stopped hurting as soon as I stopped exercising, but after that 4k run, I could hardly walk because my ankles were so sore!

Since then I have tried everything to fix what I thought were shin splints. Various physiotherapists, massage, dry needling, went through several pairs of shoes, compression wear, orthotics, strength, flexibility and balance exercises, had some personal training sessions to focus on technique, experimented with taping... nothing helped in the slightest, and since that 4k run, I haven't even been able to run for 30 seconds without that pain rearing its ugly head again.

I finally managed to get onto a sports injury specialist, and had my appointment last week. He was the first medical professional I've seen who didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that it's shin splints, and suspects that it may be compartment syndrome. Although it seems to be a more mild case than a lot of people, the symptoms sounded very familiar and it all certainly made sense. He referred me to another specialist to get the pressure testing done. I sent off the referral paperwork for the pressure test, but all the doctors are busy with the tennis at the moment, so I'll have to wait for my test

If I do have compartment syndrome, the only cure is surgery. The doctor said it's not optional if I ever want to be able to run. I made the decision long ago that if there was some sort of surgery to fix my problem, I would do whatever it takes, so that is not a problem in itself. Of course though, I will be asking lots of questions before going ahead, just trying not to jump the gun too much!

The problem is that I'm aiming for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend (only the 10k now, but that's a big enough goal considering I can't run for 30 seconds at the moment). We are also going away for 2 weeks at the end of February. I'm concerned that there won't be enough time for me to have and recover from the surgery, and start training in time. As I previously mentioned, I have never run before, so I don't have any kind of base level yet.

Without the surgery, I will not be able to run the 10k anyway, so as the doctor said, it's not optional. I will be attempting the 10k whatever happens. My questions are, for anyone has experience with compartment syndrome, whether it sounds like I actually have it, and how long the recovery/rehabilitation/re-training phase might take?

 

[wvjules]

I have CES as well. Stretching and physical therepy helps with it but it does not make it go away. The surgery sounds very painful, complicated, and also has a very, very long recovery period. They basically cut open the calf and slice open the facia so the muscle has room. And some have a permenant limp and never fully recover from the surgery.

Wait for your pressure test results. It is not pleasant. I had to run on a treadmill until symptoms appreared and then they inserted a really long needle into my legs in various places to test the pressure.

I had all of the symptoms listed on the Mayo Clinic website except for the swelling/bulging:

•Aching, burning or cramping pain in the affected limb — usually the lower leg
•Tightness in the affected limb
•Numbness or tingling in the affected limb
•Weakness of the affected limb
•Foot drop, in severe cases, if nerves in your legs are affected
•Occasionally, swelling or bulging as a result of a muscle hernia

As a casual runner, no way would I have that surgery. Instead I take it easy on the running and to a jog/walk ratio. Personally, I would not advise surgery. Try the less invasive methods first.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...tment-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20026471

 

[zanzibar138]

I have CES as well. Stretching and physical therepy helps with it but it does not make it go away. The surgery sounds very painful, complicated, and also has a very, very long recovery period. They basically cut open the calf and slice open the facia so the muscle has room. And some have a permenant limp and never fully recover from the surgery.

Wait for your pressure test results. It is not pleasant. I had to run on a treadmill until symptoms appreared and then they inserted a really long needle into my legs in various places to test the pressure.

I had all of the symptoms listed on the Mayo Clinic website except for the swelling/bulging:

•Aching, burning or cramping pain in the affected limb — usually the lower leg
•Tightness in the affected limb
•Numbness or tingling in the affected limb
•Weakness of the affected limb
•Foot drop, in severe cases, if nerves in your legs are affected
•Occasionally, swelling or bulging as a result of a muscle hernia

As a casual runner, no way would I have that surgery. Instead I take it easy on the running and to a jog/walk ratio. Personally, I would not advise surgery. Try the less invasive methods first.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...tment-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20026471

Thanks, I really appreciate your input.

My only issue is that I have committed to doing this 10k now, and I get very stubborn about these things! Without doing something to improve my leg situation, I will never get around within the time limit. All I can currently do is 10 seconds of jogging with a 2 minute recovery period. It also affects me when I walk briskly, so my recovery walk period has to be just a leisurely paced walk, and it would be even worse to try to walk the whole thing at that pace.

I have tried practically everything else that there is available, and the doctor has actually told me not to bother getting any more physio or massage as he can guarantee it won't help, and it will just be a waste of money.

I will definitely be looking further into the surgery though, knowing that people sometimes come out of it with a limp. I was kind of thinking that I wouldn't be any worse off, even if the surgery didn't go well and I could never run again (because I really can't run at all now), but I don't want to lose my ability to walk too!

Having said all that, I haven't yet suffered any nerve type symptoms - have never felt any tingling or weakness. So far it's just the pain and tightness that I've had, so maybe it's not compartment syndrome after all. I'm not looking forward to the test at all! But at least once I've had it, I'll either know what it is or be able to rule something out