Bilateral Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome of the Forearm: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) is an exercise-related condition characterized by a sense of pressure, pain, paresthesias, and weakness due to abnormally elevated pressures within a muscle compartment. The underlying etiology of CECS is unknown. CECS occurs most commonly in the legs of runners but has been reported in the thigh, foot, upper extremity, and erector spinae muscle compartments (3). Exertional compartment syndromes of the upper extremities are far less common than in the lower extremities. We report a case of an athlete with CECS of the forearm flexor compartments bilaterally. Additionally, we provide a review of the available English language literature on CECS of the forearm. This review does not include cases where there was acute onset of symptoms or cases where the patient had a recent history of a traumatic injury to the forearm. © 2013 by the American College of Sports Medicine.