Since 2001, we have helped people find the best lawyer for their case. Only a handful in Illinois have a real track record of winning compartment syndrome cases. Call us at 312-346-5320 for a free, confidential consult.
Compartment syndrome is a buildup of pressure around your muscles. When there is too much pressure around your muscles, less blood, less oxygen, and fewer nutrients flow to your muscles and nerves. Compartment syndrome is very painful and in some cases it can lead to catastrophic results if it’s not diagnosed and treated in time. When that happens in Illinois, you could have a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Medically speaking, a compartment is a group of muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. Compartments are covered by a thin casing of tissue (or a membrane) called fascia. Fascia helps hold things in place. Fascia also has nerves that make it almost as sensitive as skin. Compartment syndrome results from the extra pressure inside a compartment causing the muscles to press against the fascia more than is normal. We are lawyers, not doctors, but it’s important to hire a lawyer who understands this complex medicine.
Compartment syndrome can happen to any muscle group, but is most common in people’s legs (especially lower legs), feet, belly, buttocks, and arms (including hands and wrists). We see it a lot in people with back pain that doesn’t get diagnosed quickly enough and even after surgeries.
The two types of compartment syndrome are acute and chronic. Acute compartment syndrome is caused by a sudden traumatic event such as an accident or severe injury. A trip to the ER is necessary. Chronic compartment syndrome, on the other hand, happens over time, especially after intense physical activity on the job or exercising. It can also be a natural part of the breakdown of your body even if you are otherwise healthy.
Both acute and chronic compartment syndrome can be caused by someone’s work activities. A fall from a ladder, a collision in a company vehicle, or an injury using a work tool or machinery are just a few examples of work accidents that lead to the acute type. Construction work, heavy lifting, and other physically demanding work that someone performs day after day can lead to the chronic type.
Common symptoms of compartment syndrome are:
• Muscle pain (more severe than normal soreness)
• Loss of urine and/or bowel control
• Severe pain when stretching the muscle
• Visible swelling or bulging around a muscle or just feeling like your muscle is firmer or bigger than usual
• Numbness
• Burning or tingling feeling under your skin.
As acute compartment syndrome is a medical emergency, the treatment is surgery. A surgeon will perform a fasciotomy in which they will cut through the skin and fascia to relieve the pressure in the muscle compartment that is affected. After the swelling and pressure go away, the surgeon will close the incision. If this problem isn’t caught quickly enough, surgery may not fix the problem. You could end up paralyzed and/or permanently incontinent.
Chronic compartment syndrome is usually treated with medications to reduce pain and inflammation. Modifying your work activities (less intense and/or less repetitive motions) may also be necessary, as well as physical therapy. In some cases, a fasciotomy is the course of treatment that can be tried to reduce the pain.
We help people with legal cases for compartment syndrome in a few ways. First off, we know the best Illinois medical malpractice lawyers to sue for a failure to diagnose compartment syndrome. If your symptoms don’t resolve after surgery, you may be entitled to significant compensation.
We also help a lot of injured workers, car accident victims and others who can bring a case based on how their problems originally started. It’s not unusual to see a back injury from work result in compartment syndrome and have devastating results.
We have a track record of success and promise to treat you like a family member or friend. If you’d like a free consultation with a lawyer, we can help everywhere in Illinois. Call us at 312-346-5320.