ABSTRACT
All surgeons involved in the care of traumatic injuries must have a working understanding of compartment syndrome (CS) of the extremities and be prepared to perform a fasciotomy as required. CS is a limb-threatening and potentially life-threatening condition. Long bone fractures and vascular injuries are the most frequent antecedent events, but other injuries such as burns, crush injury, bleeding into enclosed cavity spaces, external compression of a limb, thrombotic or embolic events, envenomation, allergy, intravenous infiltration, muscle overuse, nephritic syndrome and intramuscular injection have all been described as the underlying aetiology.
