Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
People who are likely to need a fascictomy include the following:
- athletes who have sustained one or more serious impact injuries
- people who spend long periods of time on their feet
- people with severe burns
- persons...
who are overweight - snakebite victims
There is a slight male predominance among people undergoing a fasciotomy.
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This narrated 3D animation shoes the anatomy of the knee and how this structure works to move the knee joint. Of special note are the anatomical orientations of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) along with a description of how tendon surgery is performed.
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Other Information
Fasciotomy is a surgical procedure where the fascia is cut to relieve tension or pressure (resulting in loss of circulation to an area of tissue or muscle). Fasciotomy is a limb-saving procedure when used to treat acute compartment syndrome. It is also sometimes used to treat chronic compartment stress syndrome. The procedure has a very high rate of success, with the most common problem being accidental damage to a nearby nerve. Complications can also involve the formation of scar tissue after the operation. A thickening of the surgical scars can result in the loss of mobility of the joint involved. This can be addressed through occupational therapy or physical therapy.
In addition to scar formation, there is a possibility that the surgeon may require a skin graft to close the wound.
Sometimes when closing the fascia again in another surgical procedure, the muscle is still too large to close it completely. A small bulge is visible, but is not harmful.
Other Information
In 2006 a study showed that one in six persons or 43.1 million people in the U.S. have foot problems. Thirty-six percent regard their foot problems as serious enough to warrant medical attention.
From: AAOS
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