Acute Compartment Syndrome After Gastrocnemius Rupture (Tennis Leg) in a Nonathlete Without Trauma.

ABSTRACT

Acute compartment syndrome is a serious emergency that warrants urgent decompression, and tennis leg (i.e., rupture of the medial head of the gastrocnemius) is a known clinical condition that is usually treated symptomatically, with good results overall. In rare cases, acute compartment syndrome is associated with tennis leg after severe direct muscle trauma or severe exercise in athletes or physically active individuals. We present an unusual case of acute compartment syndrome secondary to tennis leg after the patient, a nonathlete, had disembarked from a truck without any trauma. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for atraumatic compartment syndrome, and timely surgical fasciotomy must be undertaken to avoid complications resulting from delayed diagnosis and treatment.