Ankle and knee position as a factor modifying intracompartmental pressure in the human leg

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of position of the knee and ankle on intracompartmental pressures in the leg. Slit catheters were introduced bilaterally into all four muscle compartments of the lower extremities of six healthy volunteers. Intracompartmental pressures were monitored with the catheters while the ankle joint was passively held in full dorsiflexion, full plantar flexion, or neutral with the knee flexed 90 or 10 degrees or fully extended. Statistical analysis revealed that intracompartmental pressure increased significantly in all four compartments when the ankle was passively dorsiflexed. Pressure in the superficial posterior and lateral compartments was dependent on knee position and in the deep posterior and anterior compartments it was independent of knee position. In addition, pressure in the deep posterior compartment decreased significantly when the ankle was placed in full plantar flexion, and that finding was independent of knee position. Anterior compartment pressure was not significantly elevated by full passive plantar flexion of the ankle.