Ever encountered a situation where pressure builds up in the muscles to a dangerous level? It will hamper the blood flow into the muscles. This condition is known as Compartment Syndrome. Decreased blood flow into the affected areas means that the nutrients and oxygen transported into the muscle will also reduce.
To understand it better there are two kinds of compartment syndrome. The first is an acute syndrome which is as a result of a severe injury. The second is chronic compartment syndrome caused by athletic exertion. This article explicitly explains the process of how do you treat compartment syndrome.
Related: 5 Best Running Shoes for Compartment Syndrome
How Do You Treat Compartment Syndrome?
The disease comes with some symptoms. Of the common signs is pain which is extreme and that is not related to the injury. The pain is persistent and progressive. There will be a difficulty when stretching which is a result of pain. This is as a result of muscles lacking enough blood.
Moreover, Paresthesia, a weird feeling of either tingling or pricking are possible symptoms. Limited or no pulse in the area of compartment could be a sign of this sickness. Here are the remedies:
1. Surgery
For patients with acute compartment syndrome, surgery is the only option. The procedure performed on them is Fasciotomy. The surgeon will open the skin and the fascia to remove the excess pressure underneath. Additionally, when other options have failed, the doctor will go for fasciotomy.
After the surgery, it is required for the patient to have some physiotherapy which will hasten the recovery process. Sometimes chronic compartment syndrome may not heal as planned. The doctor may recommend surgery which is not that complicated. You can consult with your doctor for more clarification.
2. Avoiding, stopping, or minimizing activities that trigger chronic compartment syndrome
For many patients, the symptoms have gone away with the reduction of stress activities. The symptoms could be worse when you are in a certain position or when on certain surfaces. Changing those surfaces will reduce the pain. After the surgery, there could be a scar and some doctors will apply graft on the wound so that they do not occur even after healing.
3. Use of anti-inflammatory medicines.
Visiting the doctor soonest is the first step one should take. The doctors will assess the situation and advice on the best way forward on the administration of the drugs.
Anti-inflammatory drugs will help reduce the pressure on the skin. Always take medicines that are recommended by the doctor. Visiting the pharmacy or drug store without the doctor’s recommendations is highly discouraged. The rationale behind this is that some drugs can react to your body creating further complications. Examples of such drugs are naproxen and ibuprofen which will help to reduce the inflammation
4. Physiotherapy
Sometimes there is no need for drugs and routine exercises with your physiotherapist are what you need. Using drugs for a long time will in a long time have negative effects on your body. The exercises will enable you to have enough blood pumped into the affected area. Thereby, it will help reduce the pain to a great extent.
Significantly, not all exercises fit for this condition as some may worsen the situation. Mostly it includes but is not limited to massages which are deep friction and soft tissue, joint armament, and stretching. Thus consult widely.
5. Wearing the right attire
The attires are both your shoes, socks, and even your clothes. Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight in the affected area. By wearing them, the pressure will spread to other areas of the body. Get the shoes meant for this condition. The shoes can are effective in doing exercises that do not insert a lot of pain on the muscles. Be reminded to avoid doing exercises that did hasten the condition but only those the recommended ones. The exercises should take at most 25 minutes.
6. Use of Orthotics
It is a device used to support, immobilizing, and to treat muscles that are weak, ineffective, or injured. You need to be strategic as you wear orthotics. Wearing them for the first time will be uncomfortable. You can increase the wearing time every day by an hour and on the days that you are fatigued you can have a rest day.
7. Apply Ice
Applying ice is a short-term solution and it does not help heal. Ice is useful when there is a lot of pain as it wills constraint the vessels to shrink hence reducing the pain. Moreover, it will help reduce the swelling of the tissues. Be reminded that the ice therapy does not cure but a remedy as you seek treatment for the compartment syndrome at your nearest clinic. The application of ice to an open wound is highly discouraged as it may lead to infection.
Possible complications
Avoidance or misdiagnosis of the condition will lead to some complications. Such complications are permanent nerve damage, infection of the affected area, scare on the affected area, and permanent muscle damage. Research has shown that the cell die and they can release some chemicals that can affect some parts of the body.
Related: Can You Run With Compartment Syndrome?
Final Word
For acute compartment syndrome, there is a need for early treatment. The pressure needs to be relieved quickly. Dragging your feet will make the cells to become permanently damaged or even die. Furthermore easily diagnosis is critical to manage the disease and ensure that there is a long-term disability. With quick treatment, the affected area will have blood restored before the damage worsens.
Yet for chronic compartment syndrome, an individual needs to avoid the exercise or the issue that is causing the problem. This is not that dangerous.
The management of this condition is still unclear. However, many experts agree that the wounds should be left open. Inspecting the debridement should be done after 48-72 hours. In severe conditions, it will result in renal failure or even death. So ensure that you get yourself enough knowledge remedies that will be useful on how to treat compartment syndrome just in case.
