Acute compartment syndrome is the condition of raised pressure within an enclosed compartment, such that the perfusion and the function of the tissues within are compromised, resulting in ischemia and eventually necrosis. Although, in theory, it can occur in any compartment, it is most commonly seen in the lower limb. We describe a rare case of acute compartment syndrome in the paraspinal muscles that responded well to surgical decompression. Our patient was informed that data concerning this case would be submitted for publication. Athirty-five-year-old man on the third day of a skiing holiday presented to the emergency department because of severe, unrelenting pain in the right lumbosacral paraspinal area, radiating across the abdomen to the groin. The pain had been present for four hours and had begun spontaneously with no history of trauma. In retrospect, the patient had experienced similar but milder pains during previous ski trips and during long-distance running. There was associated numbness in the right lumbosacral area. Positive findings on physical examination were bilateral paraspinal muscle rigidity associated with swelling, marked tenderness, and loss of the lumbar lordosis. There was dense loss of sensation in the paraspinal area to the midaxillary line and altered sensation extending anteriorly to the midline. Reduced abdominal muscle tone on the right side, resulting in asymmetry, was also noted. Active movement of the spine was minimal and exacerbated the pain. The patient had mild tenderness of the abdomen with absent bowel sounds. The initial differential diagnosis included a renal stone, a herniated disc, discitis, and a retroperitoneal abnormality. A urine specimen was dark in appearance, and analysis revealed 3+ myoglobinuria. Blood chemistry studies showed elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (804 IU/L; …