Anatomy
The thigh muscles are divided into 3 muscle groups (muscle beds) by strong, partially rigid muscle membranes (fascia): an anterior, an inner and a posterior muscle bed.
Cause
The pressure in a muscle group (muscle joint) can increase so quickly after a trauma or acute, intensive strain (due to bleeding or fluid extraction) that the pressure in the muscle joints increases sharply (acute muscle joint syndrome). In other cases, prolonged intensive exercise can cause the muscles to grow so fast that the muscle membranes surrounding the muscles are unable to give way.Chronic musculoskeletal syndrome can occur as a complication of previous muscle rupture. This slowly increases the pressure in the musculogen (chronic musculogenesis syndrome).
In some cases of both acute and chronic musculoskeletal syndrome, the pressure becomes so high in the musculoskeletal system that blood vessels and nerves can become pinched. Chronic musculoskeletal syndrome can be seen as a complication of previous muscle rupture.
Symptoms
Acute musculoskeletal syndrome is characterised by increasing pain that is often more severe than expected based on the initial assessment of the extent of the injury. At the same time, sensory disturbances may occur. In chronic musculoskeletal syndrome, there is a slow onset of pain in the thigh muscles after a few minutes of activity.
You can feel the muscles ‘tighten’ and become hard, which is accompanied by discomfort. If the activity is interrupted, the discomfort fades relatively quickly, but returns shortly after resuming the sporting activity.
Examination
The diagnosis is made by the clinical examination and the characteristic symptoms, circumferential examination of the thigh, tense thigh muscle and possibly pressure measurement in the muscle joints (Lorange JP, et al. 2023). Other studies incl. MRI scanning has been tried (Lorange JP, et al. 2023)
Treatment
In severe cases of acute musculoskeletal syndrome, the treatment is acute splitting of the muscle membrane. It is crucial for the continued function of the muscle that this surgery takes place urgently, which of course is only possible if the athlete seeks urgent medical attention (Rameder P, et al. 2019). In mild cases, surgery can be avoided under close observation (possibly in hospital).
For chronic musculoskeletal syndrome, treatment primarily involves relief from pain-inducing activity and slowly increasing exercise intensity within the pain threshold. Arthritis pills (NSAIDs) can be tried. If the above is not effective, surgical splitting of the muscle membranes can be performed.
Complications
Permanent damage to muscles and nerves can occur if treatment is not started as soon as possible.
Especially
As there is a risk of permanent damage, the injury should be reported to your insurance company.
