Muscles are surrounded by a thin, strong tissue called fascia which permits full function of the muscles. In rare cases, the fasica is too tight not allowing the muscle to increase in size when exercising. This leads to raised pressure within the muscle compartment resulting in pain which often causes the athlete to stop exercising after some time. The correct term for this condition is called chronic exertional compartment syndrome. The acute compartment syndrome is a different pathology which needs urgent surgical treatment. Typically patients suffering from chronic exertional compartment syndrome describe pain in the lower leg when exercising for a specific (similar) amount of time.
