Acute compartment syndrome of the thigh in a rugby player

Smith, Richard David James; Rust-March, Holly; Kluzek, Stefan

Abstract

In the absence of obvious trauma, diagnosis of acute compartment syndrome (ACS) of the thigh can easily be delayed, as disproportional pain is not always present. We present a case of ACS of the anterior right thigh compartment in a healthy, semiprofessional rugby player with normal coagulation, who sustained a seemingly innocuous blow during a rugby match. Following early surgical fasciotomy, he returned to his preinjury playing standards within 12 months. Our literature review suggests that high muscle mass, young, athletic males participating in a contact sport are mostly at risk of developing ACS of the thigh.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 20, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Aug 6, 2015
• Publication Date: 2015-01
• Deposit Date: May 20, 2020
• Journal: BMJ Case Reports
• Electronic ISSN: 1757-790X
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2015
• Article Number: bcr2015210856
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2015-210856
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4471251
• Publisher URL: https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2015/bcr-2015-210856