Recovery Rate from Fasciotomy?? Does it work?

My daughter had two compartments released back in May and was very careful about her recovery. She is now playing Basketball in the U.S. and very disheartened that she seems to have pain and swelling during practice and when playing and has had to stop playing to see if things improve. She seemed to be progressing well, but maybe the volume of practicing every day and not being totally healed is creating problems.
I have emailed the Surgeon that did the surgery to find out what his thoughts are. She is very frustrated about the situation.

hey im 15 yrs old and i got diagnosed with Compartment syndrome after a fracture in the tibia and fibula... it sucks! its been about 8 weeks since the surgeries. im walking but limping. sucks 0.o

I am also about to undergo a fasciotomy and am worried about re-hab. Since I have never been able to run without pain, my goal is to run for exercise (eventually!). I am blogging about my experience with Compartment Syndrome, so feel free to check it out and best of luck! h


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I have had surgery in both legs and has a friend who has also gone through the surgery and complete recovery.  It is actually 2 compartments per leg so 4 total. I am still in physical therapy and the key to any surgery is not rushing recovery. It took my friend 6 months before she completely recovered. The problem is that because it is the fascia after 2 weeks or so it kind stops hurting and you feel that you can go back to doing what you were doing before which is the wrong answer. It takes time and continuous stretching. You don't put in the time with stretching everything gets tight and the same reason you stretch before exercise is the same reason you stretch often after this surgery. You don't stretch you injure yourself. I know exactly the pain your talking about. I tried to do a power cling the other day and my leg became really sore, swelled up, and I loss some mobility. It was to early and I definitely didn't stretch enough. Another thing the reason I developed or at noticed my chronic compartment syndrome was from over exercising in my case running too many hills. So we who have this tend to over do it and I have to be reminded several times a week by a physical therapist that I need to continue to take easy. No I can't run right now, I need to only swim or ride a stationary bike. It is a hard pill swallow for me but by ignoring my physical therapist I know I will only prolong my recovery. If you are in sports it is hard to stay out of the game but if you want a future in sports you have to remember recovery is key. 

I have had all 4 compartments released within the last 5 months. They did the first surgery on both legs in June. At the end of August i came back down south for school to start my pre-season training, only to find out i was still having the same problem. The Doctors said they needed to release the other compartments in my legs. They did the second Surgery Aug 17th. I have been running on a tred mill for the past 4 weeks, with light cramping but not too bad. Today was my first day running outside on our track and instantly i had the same problem. My legs tightened up within the first 100m of me running. My legs went tingly and numb again. Anyone have any information as to what my problem could be. They have released all 4 compartments and Doctors dont know what else to do. Please, any help would be great.

Thanks

I was diagnosed with CS in 2009 and had all four compartments released. I recently had to undergo another fasciatomy on the same leg bc I too was experiencing the crippling pain on my shin and top of foot. My new doc says that the second fasciatomy was needed bc my underlying condition was not addressed. SO when he performed the second fasciatomy last week, he also released my soleus muscle from my tibia...CS due to shin splints. If the shin splint is not taken care of, the CS can come back. I am rehabbing now but the second surgery is not as painful recovery as the first. The first I was able to tell it didn't work right after surgery. ope this helps.

my 15 year old daughter at the time had a fasciotomy performed on her right leg in all 4 compartments.  she had tremendous pain prior to surgery and major calf swelling - leg was 1 full inch greater in circumference than the left leg.  after surgery, which was done in may 2010, she still has the same pain she had prior to the surgery.  she can exercise briefly but any running, walking or standing for long periods of time break her down into tears.  we have had many tests performed before surgery and since surgery and all have come back negative.  we are considering another fasciotomy in the leg but the ortho said he could not guarranty that would correct problem.  i want to see my daughter njoy her quality of life again, but we just dont know why this pain is still there from the first surgery.  she claims now it is as bad as it was before the surgery was done.  we are really at a loss and probably have no choice but to try this surgery again.  maybe first doctor that performed surgery did not open fascia all the way or maybe there is scar tissue hampering her progress.  whatever the case, this has been a real problem for the last 4 or so years and boy we could use some ideas as to what to do next.  thanks...Dave 

for guest and whoever else would like to read this,

 I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. she is so young for this and it makes me so sad because I know exactly what she is going through. I started getting compartment syndrome symptoms when I was 16 but was not at the point she was until I was almost 18. I had kept on running and playing soccer until I collapsed on the field one day. That's when we started a process that took 8 months of figuring out what I even had. I was finally diagnosed with compartment syndrome and got fasciotomies on both legs, all 4 compartments, right when I turned 18 up at Vanderbilt. now 2 years later I had to get the surgery redone except to a much worse extent. I also had popliteal artery entrapment and they had to leave 2 incisions open. but this time its for good because I had fasciectomies done. I want to tell you that fasciotomies do not work! and will not work if your daughter wants to continue sports and exercising. or even daily life. she desperately needs fasciectomies! if you just split the fascia it will grow back together and the scar tissue will only make it tighter and thicker. I can only imagine her pain is getting much worse with continued exercise. Mine was beginning to pull blood from my thighs and I was having alot of pain there. My pressures were in the 70's at rest. Please do not let it get this far. Nobody can really understand the type of pain a compartment syndrome patient goes through. Just be careful! and be sure after any surgery she has to constantly, constantly, be massaging! good luck!

I am 18 years old and had Compartment Syndrome in all four compartments. I had the fasciotomy on all compartments in both legs 11 months ago and still find myself having similar symptoms to pre-surgery. I am still not able to run or jump because my legs instantly hurt and tingle. Even walking long distances can really build the pressure back up. My dad works with a woman who had the same surgery at my age and she told me it took her two years to fully recover and go back to her old active life. I'm hoping things get better for me but right now the pain and suffering from the surgery seems to be almost useless!

Have them do an ultrasound on her veins in her legs. My daughter had the same issues. Now the say the secondary vein valves don't work and is causing psin and swelling.

thank you so much... my daughter just had another fasciotomy performed 3 weeks ago and has had major swelling and pain and bruising. she recently just started to walk a bit but we still don't know if the second fasciotomy will solve any of her original problems. after she stretches and massages - pt currently being used - she feels more comfortable but we will not know the results until it heals and she attempts to run or walk for a period of time. fingers are crossed - doctor said he found some fascia that was not open in the ends of each compartment. it gives us hope that maybe he released them better than the original doctor that performed her first surgery. if no change, maybe fasciectomy is the answer. thanks again for the help and answers to my question... good luck to you in your rehab

So glad I found this thread. I too am experiencing the same pain again that I was before my initial Surgery back in November (it's now mid-July). I had all four compartments released in my legs. The first two months after my surgery I felt amazing and didnt have a single issue. Then eventually I noticed a couple of my toes beginning to go numb off and on again. Then just in the last couple months I have tried to take running back up and I just can't. Even if I only run for a few yards I'm back walking seconds later. Then wrapping my legs up with ice at night. It's so frustrating and I really don't want to tell anyone because I was so thrilled that it worked a few months ago. Now I'm almost in more pain than I was initially. I feel like the whole surgery was worthless. I still deal with the numbness in my ankles from the nerve damage.

Greetings Everyone Well I am military and it took two years. To finally get to the right diagnosis. I was running 5k 3 or 4 days a week and one 8k. It started with pain in the fornt inside of my legs. Being a highschool and college athlete it was a pain I have seen many times "shin splints" I went to the dr he said take time away from running and it will be fine (I thought the same) had done this before. This time it was different. After a six to eight week break the pain was back. This is not norm for me but along with the pain I started to notice the swelling in my lower legs especially around my sock line. Along with this numbing in my foot. This is where my battle started. I told them it was not shin splints but for two yeaes was told it was. Then was told it was stressfracturs and was sent for a bone scan. That was negative. I had told the drs through the process I thought it was CECS and was right. Finaly had surgery 4 weeks ago. Both legs and 4 compartments each leg. I find my legs are tight and have pain of 3 on a scale to 10. I hope my recovery goes well because I have gained 30 to 40 pounds not running. What scares ne is I see most of the post required a second surgery.

I had my surgery last Tuesday. The surgeon would only do the release on one leg in teo compartments, because my pain was in one leg only. My pressure test came back at 115 after 3min of light walking on the treadmill. I'm having severe pain in my ankle that seems to spread to my shin. Did anyone else experience this during recovery? I'm at day 11 and have been basically horizontal the whole recovery. My pain is about a 7 with a steady 400mg IBproufen every 6 hours. I've resorted back to the pain meds since I can't sleep through the pain. Nothing is releaving the pain. Just wondering if this is normal or if anyone has a suggestion.