Chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the quadriceps femoris

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome is well documented in the distal extremities, but is rare in the thighs. We present the case of a 19-year-old male who presented with chronic, recurrent bilateral thigh pain induced by physical activity, which settled with rest but recurred on immediate return to exercise. Postexercise MRI of both thighs demonstrated changes of symmetrical edema in the proximal quadriceps muscles, reflecting exercise-induce compartment syndrome. The patient underwent selective fasciotomies of each anterior thigh with improvement of symptoms. The patient is now doing well, with some residual milder symptoms and appearances on follow-up MR imaging are not as pronounced. This case describes the clinical presentation and imaging appearance of a rare case of chronic compartment syndrome in the quadriceps femoris.