Acute compartment syndrome following non-contact football injury.

Abstract

Acute compartment syndrome in athletes, although rare, is a limb threatening condition which warrants emergency treatment. The case of a footballer with acute compartment syndrome of the left lower leg, without any preceding direct trauma to the calf, is reported. To our knowledge this is the only description of acute atraumatic compartment syndrome secondary to rupture of one of the heads of gastrocnemius.