Exertional calf pain at kilometer five - Finding the cause

Samuel A Renier; Angela M Voight; Emilee J Trost; William O Roberts

doi:10.1016/j.smhs.2023.10.001

Exertional calf pain at kilometer five - Finding the cause

Sports Med Health Sci. 2023 Nov 11;6(1):89-93. doi: 10.1016/j.smhs.2023.10.001. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Authors

Samuel A Renier¹, Angela M Voight², Emilee J Trost³, William O Roberts⁴

Affiliations

¹ St. John's Hospital Family Medicine Residency, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
² Summit Orthopedics, Woodbury Clinic, 2090 Woodwinds Dr., Woodbury, MN, 55125, USA.
³ Minnesota Distance Elite, 4007Forest Rd, Minneapolis, MN, 55416, USA.
⁴ Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, 516 Delaware St. SE, 6-240 Phillips-Wangensteen Building, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.

Abstract

A 23-year-old professional distance runner with several years of exertional calf pain was diagnosed with a unique mixed type III and functional popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES). Surgical reduction of the obstructing tissue allowed her to return to professional running. This case highlights the importance of including PAES in the differential for chronic intermittent lower extremity claudication and outlines the work-up required to diagnose this vascular obstruction in younger athletes.

Keywords: Claudication; FPAES; Lower leg pain; PAES; Popliteal entrapment; Vascular imaging.

Publication types

Case Reports