compartment syndrome

com·part·ment syndrome

noun \kəm-ˈpärt-mənt-\

Definition of COMPARTMENT SYNDROME

: a painful condition resulting from the expansion or overgrowth of enclosed tissue (as of a leg muscle) within its anatomical enclosure (as a muscular sheath) producing pressure that interferes with circulation and adversely affects the function and health of the tissue itself—called also compartmental syndrome