The compartment syndrome is an entity of rare appearance in sports, if we compare it with the universe of sports injuries; however, it is important to know it, because it induces an emergency medical consultation in sports scenarios, in acute cases, and incapacitates the athlete in chronic cases. The compartment syndrome is mainly associated with contact or endurance sports and its classification is according to the time of appearance, in acute and chronic by overexertion or according to the body site. In order to detect it in an acute presentation, its signs and symptoms can be classically defined in the 5 P's; however, the chronic compartment syndrome could appear with other associated findings, depending on the committed site, making it easily confused with other processes. This entity should be suspected in every sportsman or woman when pain appears that is exaggerated in the affected extremity or body compartment, compared to the mechanism of the injury and when there are signs in the affected extremity to complete the 5 P's, associated or not to the causes that originate it, and the associated risk factors. If the compartment syndrome is suspected, the intra-compartment pressures of an invasive type must be checked by the attending medical professional and, in order to rule it out from other entities, it is useful to send serum para-clinical tests to check for associated muscle necrosis, together with the taking of imaging tests, if technological care allows it. Always when faced with a compartment syndrome, the associated complications must be considered. Early fasciotomy is the treatment of choice and it is up to the specialist to practice it in the acute compartment syndrome. In relation to the chronic compartment syndrome the activity that is being carried out must be suspended, to treat the patient with other measures that could diminish the process, including powerful analgesia, handling of footwear or of surface to avoid to increase it, analgesics under scales of pain of medical type and until drugs like the botulinum toxin A by expert personnel, but always the handling must be expectant and to watch it by a specialist because it could need surgical handling of definitive form. Specialized evaluation and appropriate decision making by sports training staff in a timely manner can avoid temporary or permanent complications in the affected individual. We hope that this review can raise awareness among all sports practitioners, their counselors, and medical and non-medical personnel for better detection of this complication of sports injuries.