Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome in ­Athletes: A narrative Review

Abstract

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the lower leg accounts for approximately 75% of sports-related chronic leg pain. Nevertheless, the exact and timely recognition in athletes might pose a great challenge to sports physicians. Among a variety of possible differential diagnoses such as tenosynovitis, stress fractures, periostalgia, or popliteal artery entrapment syndrome the physician has to be able to identify the correct entity as promptly as possible. Consequently, profound knowledge about exercise-associated pathologies of the musculoskeletal, nervous and vascular system, as well as the capability of interdisciplinary thinking are critical.