Compartment Syndrome - Surgery or no?

i'm convinced compartment syndrome ended my career (25 years ago). i didn't do the surgery due to the risk warnings.

i regret it almost every day.

get the surgery...i did over 5 years ago and haven't had any symptoms since

just make sure you go to a doctor who knows what he's doing...from what i was told, most of the surgeries that weren't successful were b/c the doctor didn't release the nerves

i was also told the success rate was 90%, 9% that it did nothing, and 1% it would get worse...really not much risk if you ask me

My husband had compartment syndrome, almost 10 years ago. He got the surgery and it helped. He didn't have any nerve damage. His sister had it too, but never got the surgery - she still has issues with her legs and is limited to running 4-5 miles at a time. It took a long time for him to recover and get back running from what I remember. Now he's pretty much able to run pain free - he's completed two marathons in the last year - one is 2:33 at NYC. He did struggle a lot with lower leg issues for a few years after the surgery. He's found that weekly massage, ice baths and compression socks really help. Good luck! I remember when he found out - it was really devasting.

Agree, get the surgery. I had it in college (as did several of my teammates). Frankly the risk of not being able to run afterward didn't even register, since I couldn't really run before.

I do have to be vigilant about doing calf/ankle strengthening in order to ward off injury, but I can't say if that's a result of the surgery. Even if it is, it's a small price to pay for being able to run again. All surgery carries risks, but compartment release is a pretty simple one.

Have you tried Active Release Therapy yet? IF not check into it, it worked like a charm for me.

I had the surgery in 2003. I was basically hobbled when I tried to run and I had tried resting, massage, everything I knew to try. The recovery was not that bad and I don't feel that it has hurt me. If anything, I now can run more MPW than before. I still have shin problems and I wear orthotics to correct that, but I don't regret the surgery at all and I wouldn't be able to run like I do today if I hadn't had the surgery. I'm slower than most of the posters on this board, but my running has improved greatly since having the surgery and being able to run consistently. I have had injuries since and I also have to be careful with my shins, but I would recommend having it.

I had the surgery 3 years ago and it has been a failure.

I had it in both legs, went misdiagnosed for over a year. Had the surgeries and it worked like a charm.

It could b/c I had symptoms for so long, but my recovery was slower than what I've heard is normal. It ached for about 5 weeks after I initially returned to running, then all the sudden was better. No exaggeration, it went from an annoying daily ache to nothing literally overnight.

It saved my career, and other than being a little more susceptible to lower leg bruising, I've had no complications.

What were you symptoms? I have been having problems with my right shin, and have not been able to figure it out.

Thanks for all the help guys. Based on this tiny sample and others I've seen online, it seems like the 90% success sounds about right. I went to my doctor today and he said he had never had a failure, as far as he knew it was always successful. I'm getting the needle test on Tuesday and I think I'm probably going to get the surgery after that. I'll check back in if I do to add my experience to the statistics.

@Its me: I haven't tried (or heard of) Active Release Therapy, but I have tried standard physical therapy with a chiropractor. Is Active Release Therapy a permanent fix or is it like foam rolling/icing where it's just prevention?

@old goat: What do you mean by failed? You still have the compartment syndrome or he damaged your leg in surgery?

Spend a couple of hours Googleing Active Release Therapy. Not many therapists do it. It worked immediately for me and after only a couple of treatments I've been without symptoms since.