Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome misdiagnosed as chronic exertional compartment syndrome in a young male athlete : role of dynamic ultrasound

Abstract

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) is an uncommon cause of exercise-induced pain in the lower extremity of young athletes. However, it might explain the symptoms of those athletes who do not respond to treatment for the more common overuse syndromes. We present a case of a young professional male athlete who was diagnosed with bilateral chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS), for which he was operated on twice. His symptoms persisted for 5 years before PAES was diagnosed with dynamic ultrasound, and after bilateral surgical release a few months apart, he was completely symptom-free except for some discomfort in the fasciotomy scars.