Lateral Leg Compartment Syndrome Caused by Ill-fitting Compression Stocking Placed for Deep Vein Thrombosis Prophylaxis During Surgery: A Case Report

Isolated lateral leg compartment syndrome is a relatively rare event, with potentially devastating consequences. We present a case of a 44-year-old man with isolated lateral leg compartment syndrome caused by a compression stocking used for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis during surgery. It was found to be excessively tight around the patient’s proximal calf postoperatively. He underwent lateral leg compartment fasciotomy and delayed wound closure with a split-thickness skin graft. At the 7-month follow-up visit, he had returned to full activity, had no muscle deficits, and had numbness in the distribution of the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve.