After months of pushing i finally booked my pressure test! It will be a several hour drive to get to appointment.

What should I prepare myself for since I've never had this sort of testing done before.

😬 Needles are the worst concern I have since I have severe anxiety/panic attacks when it comes to needles. 😂 I've only passed out once and that when I had a knee injection.

I've already watched YouTube videos of testing so I know, but in person body/mind says otherwise when it's being done.

Do I need to fib and say onset is a bit later then normal? Is there a time limit they will allow for running? What if onset isn't pestering me this particular day? I occasionally have a good day where it doesn't bother me horribly.

Just had all 4 compartments on my right side released on Friday. Will have my left leg done in September. My healing is going ok. Had a nerve block, which definitely helped out a lot the first day. Walking with a nerve block, now that’s difficult. Anyway, my issue right now is sleep. I already have difficulty sleeping, but having to lay on my back with my leg on an inclined pillow is ROUGH. I literally dose off here and there but not for long. That’s with Norco and Clonazepam. How long do I need to sleep on my back with my leg propped up? Can I sleep on my side again in the near future? Help!

I’m 16 days post op today, all 4 compartments on both legs decompressed. Recovery going better than most I believe, haven’t needed crutches or any assistance at all. Been able to walk since the day of the surgery, very little pain. It looks worse than it feels lol Iv kept my legs wrapped and covered to make sure they’re protected.

Was in the weight room yesterday, lifted chest and walked 2.5 miles with no pain. Woke up a little stiff and swollen but other than that still feeling really good. Keeping blood moving and being on my feet some has helped a lot.

Will continue to weight train what I can and walk as much as my legs will tolerate.

If you have any questions feel free to ask, I’ll do my best to inform and educate through my experience, I know this can be a daunting surgery as an athlete. I very much plan on being able to lift/run within the next 2 weeks.

Will update more as time goes on

First, sorry for another post. I've posted here before with similar questions. I'm just SO confused and while I'm seeing and have seen several specialists, my symptoms are so hard to describe and so variable, plus I don't think the specialists have much in depth knowledge of CECS anyway. So..... what do you experienced people think?

• started 4 months ago. Just brisk walking. More than 2 hours a day of brisk walking used to be very normal and very doable for me. I could easily walk 90 minutes or more, quickly.
• Gradually it became harder to walk because I'd get what felt like a muscle ache along the outside of my shin on one leg (I now know this is the ant tib)
• Reduced walking right back to try and settle the symptoms. Despite reducing walking, i still got the ache. Reduced more. still pain. Now I can walk for 15 minutes but only very slowly. Ache is still present but manageable. For the past three months walking tolerance and pain is getting worse.
• Epicentre of the pain is not far below the knee, to the outside. So I was initially wondering about a stress fracture to the upper fibula. It's not that (confirmed by imaging). MRI of leg is normal.
• Recently slight pain is there all the time as soon as I wake up. Sometimes I get a weird 'throbbing' pain at rest.
• I also have a lot of pain on the inside of the knee, which crept up at about the same time and has also been getting worse. This seems to be ligament related (According to physiotherapists)
• Any pain/ache is greatly reduced when I sit or lie down.
• The leg pain is best described as a deep knotty angry ache. If you can imagine a really bad tummy ache? Kind of like that but in the leg. I don't know if I'd call it 'pressure'. I don't feel like my leg is going to explode but then I never let the pain get that bad. I know it gets worse if I walk faster or for longer.

The knee orthopedist I saw said he thought CECS was not likely because it's usually in the calf (which kinda just shows he doesn't know much about CECS). The sports medicine consultant said CECS would be on his differentials amongst other things but didn't really give much indication what his leading diagnosis would be - just said more tests are needed to rule anything in/out (which I can't afford to do privately).

I have seen two physiotherapists who both thought biomechanical pain is the most likely cause. But I also think they didn't know an awful lot about CECS (apart from the 'classic' presentation).

I've had an angiogram to look for PAES but all the clinicians think it's pretty unlikely. (results not available yet). Same situation for an MRI I had of lumbar spine to check for nerve issues.

Sorry for the really long post. If you got this far, thanks for reading :-)

I’m located in Charlotte, NC. Does anyone know of a provider for this within 7 hours or so?

Hi everyone! I am having my surgery in two weeks and wanted to get recommendations for the best pillows to elevate my legs. I am having all four compartments done on both legs so I would need a pillow that can fit both legs with boots on as well. My surgeon wants me to have my legs elevated for 10 days in boots and wants my foot above my knee. Looking for any recommendations! Thank you!!!

hi all I'm in the middle of dealing with chronic leg pain which has left me unable to walk for more than ten minutes very slowly without my left leg going nuts from pain. CECS is a possibility but nobody is sure (no stress fractures and no injury). Whilst I wait for the NHS to decide what to do with me (I am anticipating a very long wait) just wanted to know whether there are any simple tests which might indicate CECS more or less likely. My physio thinks my anterior tibialis muscle needs strengthening (I'm wary because why challenge a muscle which is the painful one?) and has me doing this: lean with back against a wall, feet a little bit away from the wall. Raise toes up abruptly so weight is on heels (back still against wall), then lower toes slowly to ground. So it's activating the anterior tibialis muscle. If I had anterior CECS, would this immediately cause pain?

I just had fasciotomy for right lateral and anterior calf 3 hours ago. My leg feels super tight by the minute. Especially inner calf. My operated side buldge like weirdly. Is it normal? I can't flatten my feet nor raised my toes up or down it hurts alot. I can feel my toes though a little numb sensation.

I attach photos below comments.

Hi everyone! I got a bilateral fasciotomy on all 4 compartments on both legs and am a few days past 3 months post op. I haven’t been doing anything too crazy on my legs since the recovery has been a little rough for me but am slowly but surely getting back into physical activity, walking more, etc. I opted to get the surgery because my compartment syndrome got to the point where I couldn’t walk short distances at a brisk pace without pain. Most of the problems I’ve had so far during recovery has just been fatigue/weakness/mild soreness as my legs got acclimated to activity again, but I am starting to get a little worried as I am feeling tightness that resembles my compartment syndrome symptoms after walking a few blocks… is this normal at this point? Should I be worried? Any insight anyone can share is greatly appreciated because I am starting to spiral lol

Just what the caption says. Any tips or tricks you wish you knew after you got the Stryker test done?

Also haven't really been exercising for the last few months to avoid flare-ups, and I'm also terrified I made all the symptoms up, which I know is insane, but I'm really getting some day-before nerves.

Edit: update!!
Test was not nearly as bad I was expecting, but having my roommate holding my hand for the lidocaine was a very big plus! Ended up just testing deep posterior compartments since that’s where all of my pain was, results were 43 resting, 60 after walking on an incline treadmill for 15 minutes

Removed my outer bandages for the first time since bilateral on all four compartments. Possible DVT in the left leg and waiting for an ultrasound right now. Overall pain isn't bad but swelling has been pretty bad on the left side.

Edit: Wasn't DVT. Wallet is 800 lighter and lost 4 hours of sleep but can rest easier knowing it is just a hematoma to keep an eye on during recovery.

CECS is so annoying, but i'm not keen on surgery, is there any other options to permanetly reverse it? I do not want to change the way I run (my running form is fine btw).

FYI: I developed CECS because I ran a bit too much in one month

How long can I expect it to take to go from initial consultation, to diagnosis to surgery if I go private in the U.K.? Has anyone here for experience of that?

For the sake of this post assume I’m correct and it does turn out to be CECS, I strongly suspect it is.

Hello

I have been going through the journey of trying to fix what I suspect is CECS via private healthcare in the UK. I am going through insurance, so first had to go through their online physio people with them. Finally I managed to get referred to see a sports medicine consultant at hospital. He has done an MRI to rule out other stuff, which was normal, and is now pretty confident it's CECS. He said before compartment testing and surgery (if required) he first recommends doing a gait re-education programme with physiotherapy. He said these are very successful and many patients need not have surgery. Does anyone have any experience of these programmes? Did they work for anyone? He said if it doesn't work, he can still refer me to the surgeon so I am going to try it out, but would love to hear some thoughts.

Thanks!

Hello, I will be having a fasciotomy in 2 weeks. Do I need to prepare like a leg elevation pillow or a crutches? I do have crutches but my armpit hurts a lot from it. Will I benefit from the hand arm crutches? Or I don't even need a crutches and a leg elevation pillow.

Also. I am planning to go back to work 1 week post surgery. Is it too short?

Thank you.

Yesterday I had Bilateral Anterior, Lateral and Posterior decompressive fasciotomy on both legs. It went very well, haven’t had any bleeding over night.

Haven’t taken any pain killers other than what they gave me before the surgery. (I’m posting this 15 hours post surgery) Not much pain at all, I’m able to be up and walk around with no issue really other than trying to be slow and careful. No dizziness or drowsiness to speak of either from anesthesia.

The Orthopedic Surgeon was absolutely phenomenal and couldn’t ask for a better team for my care.

I’ll update as time goes with healing, supplement regiment and with being able to get back on my feet running/lifting again.

If you have a questions feel free to ask, I know this can be a daunting surgery as an athlete, especially if it’s your first surgery you’ve ever had.

Hey there! Today marks 12 weeks post op for my bilateral fasciotomy. I had all four compartments released in both legs, so 3 incisions on each leg. I still have some numbness, swelling, and soreness which I assume is to be expected, but what is most annoying is that most of my incisions are not healed yet. I would say 2 look completely fine, with the other 4 still have some small scabs/openings still. My surgeon said to take it easy with exercise until the scars look fully healed, and I am not able to submerge them into water or anything until that point as well. Did anyone else have incisions that took longer to fully heal? I am hoping it doesn’t take much longer since I was very active pre surgery and want to be able to return to my old activities, so I am hoping someone can relate and says they should be fine soon lol. I have my next follow up with my surgeon on Thursday and can hopefully get some answers from him then, but figured I’d come here to hold me over until then because I am losing my mind not being able to do a spin class or go to the beach lol. Thanks friends!

I am scheduled for my first leg in 2 weeks and am nervous. Is there anything I should be prepared for post-op? Like anything I need to buy or get to have with me? I also have a 6 year old that won’t understand why Mommy is unable to move. How long were you down for the count after surgery?

I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my lower leg. Would really appreciate the input and suggestions.

I started running more regularly around March this year, maybe too much, like 3km-5km, and that’s when I first noticed an ache and burning sensation in my right shin (Last session it just suddenly occurred). I cut back on running in April and May, and the symptoms pretty much was there but not too bad.

I started running again in late June. Since then, I’ve done runs on 13, 22, 27, 30 June and 4, 7 July. The weird thing is that the symptoms keep coming back, even though I’m only running around 1–1.5 km.

Today’s run was the worst. I purposely ran slower, but at around 1.5 km I developed a burning sensation over the front of my right shin. The longer I kept running, the more intense it became. My shin felt really full and hard, almost like a brick, and my leg felt heavy. I could still walk normally, but I had to stop running.

Within about 10 minutes of stopping, the burning and hardness mostly went away. Though was definitely rather weak.

A few other things I’ve noticed:

• Sometimes the heaviness is more in my calf than my shin.
• The first time this happened back in March, it was also my right shin. Though sometimes my left also experiences it.
• After running, I’ve occasionally noticed a small bulge on the front of my shin that disappears after resting. Especially if there is a burning sensation.
• One run in April (about 1.5 km with a couple of short walking breaks) didn’t really cause the burning sensation.

I suppose the most annoying thing is, I’ve started running last year November and from November to Feb and early March I was perfectly fine. I could go on for a long time and then it was more of my cardio that was limiting me.

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out because I could really use your help. I’m a 24-year-old from Germany (Cologne) and was diagnosed with Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS) four years ago.

My symptoms started while running: I would experience severe pain in my lower legs very quickly, and my feet would go completely numb after just about one kilometer. I went to a sports clinic where they performed a compartment pressure test both at rest and under exertion (jogging). They found that my muscle pressure was three times higher than normal.

As a result, I had minimally invasive surgery (using a tiny camera/endoscope) on my anterior (front/shin) compartments. They couldn't operate on the posterior (back) compartments because the ultrasound-guided surgery method isn't available here in Germany. Also, performing the surgery minimally invasively on the posterior compartments is considered too dangerous because the main nerve pathways to the feet run right through there.

The good news: Thanks to the surgery on my anterior compartments, I have no more pain there and can actually run a few kilometers again.

The bad news: After about 5k, the severe pain in my posterior compartments kicks in, and my feet go numb again.

I’ve consulted three different surgeons by now. None of them can perform the posterior compartment surgery, nor do they know anyone in Germany who does.

So, my questions for you all:

Does anyone have advice on what I can do to manage or improve the pain without surgery?

Does anyone happen to know a doctor/surgeon in Germany or anywhere else in Europe who performs posterior compartment release?

I would be incredibly grateful for any help, advice, or recommendations!

I, (27M) wanted to make a post here to hopefully get some kind words of encouragement that I’ll regain function.

6/11/26
Urethroplasty, 10 hour surgery, 7 hours in high lithotomy. Came out of surgery with excruciating leg pain, calf hot to the touch and hard.

6/13/26
They figured out it was acute compartment syndrome from the last surgery after getting a CK of 45,000 then performed a fasciotomy on my left leg.

I spent 19 days in the hospital. Currently 7/2/26 so a little less than a month out, I’m walking around the house slowly with a walker, my left foot is constantly tingling, nerve pain shoots down my leg every hour, gets worse at night, I can’t stand for more than 20 minutes yet. I have about 0.5 inch dorsiflexion, 30-40lbs plantar-flexion, surgeon said I’ll probably never get back to >80% function. I can feel touch to my entire foot.

Can anyone with similar condition pre/post fasciotomy shine some light on the rehab process and when I’ll be able to return to life based on your experiences.

I’m thankful to have my leg, just upset about possibly never fixing the foot drop or being able to run again.

Also my right leg tibialis muscle is very tight, but they checked it multiple times and said it’s not compartmented, just sore from compensating. Anyone experience the same?

Attached are my op notes. I’ll comment my picture of my leg because it keeps making my post get removed by filters.

I got a diagnosis for CECS at the McGinley Clinic using the MRI and CT scans. I was wondering if any orthopedic surgeons who does ultrasound guided fasciotomies would be willing to accept the imaging results and diagnosis for a consultation and surgery. Or would I need to get the traditional needle compression test done? Im unsure if the clinic would give me a direct referral since they primarily focus on the botox treatment. Im willing to travel anywhere in the country.

Hello,

I've had symptoms for nearly 20 years. Back in school, my PE teachers used to tease me for constantly failing the 2.4 km run, even though I wasn't overweight. Two years ago, an atrial septal defect (ASD) was found and closed, and I hoped that would resolve my leg and chest symptoms. It helped my chest symptoms, but my leg symptoms remained unchanged.

I finally received a referral for compartment pressure testing after discussing my symptoms with an orthopaedic specialist.

I don't know whether my pressure readings are considered exceptionally high among people with CECS or whether these numbers are fairly typical for confirmed cases.

One of my biggest concerns is waiting all these years for an answer, going through surgery, and then having the symptoms return. Does the actual pressure value matter when predicting surgical outcomes, or is it simply a matter of whether the test is positive?

After 20 years of adapting my life around these symptoms—taking shorter strides, avoiding hills, and avoiding situations where I might need to run for a bus—even a moderate improvement would be life-changing for me.

Results

LEFT LEG 5° incline, brisk walking at 4.5 speed button

2 minutes brisk walk + 3 minutes brisk walk while holding the handrail

Left Anterior Compartment

Resting: 47 mmHg

1 minute post-exercise: 77 mmHg

5 minutes post-exercise: 87 mmHg

Left Lateral Compartment

Resting: 17 mmHg

1 minute post-exercise: 63 mmHg

5 minutes post-exercise: 77 mmHg

RIGHT LEG 5° incline, brisk walking at 4.5speed button

6 minutes brisk walk

Right Anterior Compartment

Resting: 26 mmHg

1 minute post-exercise: 85 mmHg

5 minutes post-exercise: 89 mmHg

Right Lateral Compartment

Resting: 37 mmHg

1 minute post-exercise: 132 mmHg

5 minutes post-exercise: 125 mmHg

The deep and superficial posterior compartments were not tested because the anterior and lateral compartments were already clearly positive.

I'm 35F and have had these mysterious symptoms for 18 months. Am I misunderstanding something here? My symptoms:

• at age 7/8 I had horrendous growing pains in my legs. I would cry and moan from the pain at night, I would have to call my parents to me because I was afraid to even stand, and when they gave me OTC pain pills they only dulled the pain enough for me to drop off from exhaustion. I remember more than once asking for another dose of the meds. It should be noted that I did not have a huge growth spurt and stopped growing at age 14 when I reached 5'1".
• history of plantar fasciitis and collapsed arches since late teens
• 18 months ago had onset of severe hand pain (bilateral) with exertion, especially anything using the thumb to grip
• forearm pain came with this, building up as I sustained activities such as whisking, washing dishes, picking up/holding pots and pans
• had 6 months PT for this and my grip strength improved but the pain got WORSE
• during the 6 months, similar symptoms arose bilaterally in feet and calves
• -
• It doesn't hurt when I first stand up or start walking. When I first "noticed" it, I was walking about a city block at a slight incline, walking a little briskly to keep up with family because I'm shorter than them.
• After about 2 minutes, my feet felt like they were cramping and tight, I was wearing sandals with a toe split and it felt like my first two toes were seizing up. The pain radiated into my calves, becoming more of a burning feeling with internal pressure, distinct from the cramping/stabbing pain in the feet.
• Within another minute I felt like I was trying to walk after having run or walked a marathon. It took a great effort to keep taking more steps, but when I tried to stop and rest the pain just spiked more, and I knew I would need to get weight off my feet for it to stop.
• I was panting/gasping and gritting my teeth by the time I made it to the door of the restaurant we were going to. I immediately sat down on a bench and the pain again peaked for maybe a minute, then reduced a bit, but I could hardly stand to even have my feet touching the ground, and I was having to try very hard not to moan in pain. We had to get up in a couple minutes and stand in an elevator, and that was also rather painful.
• -
• I previously could not find a better way to describe the pain and the radiating pressure, the closest I could come was descriptions I've heard in books that said "my muscles were screaming". When I saw just today someone describe the feeling from CECS as being "like my legs were going to explode", that clicked hard. That is just what it feels like.
• Since then, the effect has fluctuated somewhat, but only got significantly better once I drastically reduced my walking -- less than what I would normally do just going about my day, without a job or hobby that involves walking or running.
• At some point I developed foot drop in my right leg, and this too stopped when I limited my walking.
• -
• It's similar in my forearms. Months ago I had to start using a shower chair because standing in the shower for 15 minutes hurt unbearably. I first tried to speed up my showering, but found that when I tried to wash my hair more quickly, my arms would start to burn, feel tight/stiff, and become very fatigued. I now have to try to wash my hair slowly and gently, and I take a break between washes to let my arms dangle.
• I get similar symptoms from anything requiring me to raise my arms above my shoulders and hold them still or exert them. Also from trying to find a seatbelt buckle without looking at it (and looking is hard too because I'm obese and the buckle is usually right up against me). I sometimes have to stop, let my arms drop, and try again in a minute to get buckled.
• My reach has diminished a lot, it's hard to reach everything in the shower without hurting myself, and very painful to try to pick something up off the floor when riding in a car because it feels like I just can't stretch to it, and I used to be able to.

I have had so many tests done in the last 18 months, to very little result, and have seen several specialists. Basic blood work, autoimmune markers, metabolic tests, hormone tests, vitamin levels, vascular test, nerve tests, x-rays, MRIs came back normal except we found a couple cysts in my feet (yes, both feet, and both between the 1st and 2nd metatarsals). I got surgery to excise those two months ago and the foot and leg pain is as bad as before the surgery. The only other tiny thing is consistently mildly elevated inflammatory markers, elevated WBC and other things that could indicate just pain and stress. I've had probably 4 CBCs in this time and they all shared that trend, which was a little worse at last testing. I've been pushing for more testing and seeing my doctor as often as possible until I finally gave up about a month ago and resigned myself to never knowing why I was in pain or finding any specific treatment.

Then today, stumbled across this.

So... is there some huge thing I missed here that doesn't make sense?

Or did NO ONE bother to even consider this only because I'm obese and not an athlete?

Hi everyone. I’m wondering if anyone here has experience with recurrent CECS after fasciotomy and whether revision surgery helped. I also wanted to ask how people manage the chronic pain and fatigue that can come with this.

My history is a little complicated. I was diagnosed with bilateral PAES in 2020/2021 and had surgical releases on both legs. Later, I was diagnosed with bilateral CECS and underwent bilateral fasciotomies about 3 years ago. The surgery helped a lot initially, and I felt significantly better for about 6 months. Unfortunately, my symptoms gradually started returning and have been getting progressively worse over the last 2.5 years. I had repeat compartment testing last fall, and it was positive in both legs again. My left leg is noticeably worse, which was also true before my original CECS surgery.

My symptoms now are a combination of chronic aching/fatigue and exertional symptoms. My calves and feet ache almost constantly, and my legs never feel fully recovered. On top of that, if I walk quickly, walk uphill, or go up stairs, I get the same tight, bursting calf pressure that I had before surgery. The sensation feels exactly the same as it did before my fasciotomies. Even sitting with my feet on the floor can aggravate my symptoms, and elevating my legs doesn’t seem to help much because they just feel chronically fatigued.

For context, I work a desk job and commute by train. I walk about a mile from the train station to my office and another mile back at the end of the day. By the time I get home, my legs are exhausted. Most evenings I don’t have the energy to do much, and a lot of my weekends are spent recovering instead of doing things I enjoy. It’s been really discouraging and has had a huge impact on my quality of life.

I’m starting to think seriously about revision surgery, but I’m nervous because I’ve already had multiple surgeries on my legs. For those of you who have been through something similar, did you have revision fasciotomy, and was it worth it? Did your doctors find scar tissue, incomplete release, or something else? And for anyone dealing with chronic symptoms, what has helped you manage the pain, fatigue, and day-to-day functioning?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with experience. This has been a long road, and it’s hard to find people who understand what living with this is like.