If not treated within six hours, permanent muscle or nerve damage can result. Treatment is by surgery to open the compartment, completed in a timely manner. Normal compartment pressure should be within 12-18 mmHg anything greater than that is considered abnormal and would need treatment. Diagnosis is generally based upon a person's symptoms and may be supported by measurement of intracompartmental pressure before, during, and after activity. It can also occur after blood flow returns following a period of poor blood flow. It is most commonly due to physical trauma such as a bone fracture (up to 75% of cases) or crush injury, but it can also be caused by acute exertion during sport. Symptoms of acute compartment syndrome (ACS) can include severe pain, poor pulses, decreased ability to move, numbness, or a pale color of the affected limb. Compartments of the leg or arm are most commonly involved. There are two main types: acute and chronic. Compartment syndrome is a condition in which increased pressure within one of the body's anatomical compartments results in insufficient blood supply to tissue within that space.
