title: Treatment of a symptomatic forearm muscle herniation with a wrap-around fascia lata graft.
abstract: Muscle herniation in the extremity is a well-recognized cause of symptomatic pain on exertion. Only 17 cases involving the upper limb has been previously described, 11 of them involving the anterior compartment of the forearm and only 2 were caused by strenuous exertion. Treatment for this condition ranged from nonsurgical, primary closure with palmaris longus interweave, formal fasciotomy, to closure with a tensor fascia lata graft.This is a study of a 28-year-old man who had a symptomatic swelling on the volar aspect of his left forearm while working on a car-door assembly line that resulted in a significant decreased of his grip strength, work capacity and median nerve symptoms. It did not improve after 6 months of conservative management including hand therapy and splintage. The patient subsequently underwent a tensor fascia lata graft wrap-around. Postoperatively his symptoms resolved with improvement in his grip strength and hand function. The rationale for the treatment option chosen is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Kamarul A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Khalid
authors.forename: Edward T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Mah
keywords: Fascia lata graft; Forearm; Muscle hernia; Ocoele