Could I have compartment syndrome?

What your describing - the pain, local tenderness, local swelling - is most likely the result medial tibial stress syndrome, commonly known as shin splints, and it makes perfect sense that you would develop if since you were laid up with the stress fracture. Ironically, the stress fracture was actually a case of shin splints gone to far, so it's no surprise that you would continue to have this kind of problem.

The good news is that it can usually be treated successfully with rest (I know, I know.....), physical therapy, sometimes massage helps (not you rubbing it, but a massage therapist), NSAID's like ibuprofen, icing it, and in some cases, even a boot. The problem is that you walk on your legs, so even if you aren't running, you aren't really resting it, and if you don't allow it to heal 100% and then some, you WILL get a recurrence.

My husband is a doctor and this happened to him last January. We are ballroom and vintage dancers, and he didn't stretch enough before a particularly brisk dance. Even though he thought he did, something wasn't right because he was hobbling by the next morning. He saw the orthopedist, was on ibuprofen, ice, PT, eventually they gave him prescription strength naprosyn, more ice, more PT, even a variety of leg braces.... suffice to say, it was a mess.

They would pronounce him "cured" and then he'd go back to regular activity - light yard work or something, and he'd be back where he started. He didn't dance for months but just walking on it aggravated it. He felt well enough to dance in April, but two days after the dance (and we only danced a couple of slow waltzes) it was so bad they put him in a boot for three months. He finally was able to resume normal activities including dancing in August. He has not had a recurrence. And he stretches the same way he always did. What caused it to act up? Who knows. He has perfectly fitted special ballroom dance shoes that are felted and designed to move easily and the entire group does an extensive stretch before we start so I guess it was just one of those things.

I would see the doctor again and go back on the injured list as far as your team goes, and really let it heal.

No,it doesn't sound like compartment syndrome. The hallmark symptoms of compartment syndrome is that the pain comes on within a few minutes of running and subsides completely with rest. The compartment will become tight during running (and sometimes you can actually watch it "bulge out") and then soften several minutes after stopping. The pain is usually described as a cramping or squeezing, and if it's severe enough, can cause some numbness and tingling.

The sensitivity you are describing is typical for someone who has had a stress fracture and is still recovering. Without knowing more about how much and for what distances you are running , my guess is simply that you are doing too much too soon. At three weeks since coming out of the boot, I'd say at the MOST you should be running 1-2 days a week and only in intervals for 1 minute at a time for no more than 10-15 minutes total. If you are doing more than this, it's really too much too soon. Depending on the severity of the fracture, I'd say MOST people need to stay off running for a MINIMUM of 12 weeks. I had a severe one myself and it sidelined me for 17 weeks and took me a full year to recover.

Although the "fracture" heals in 8-12 weeks, the bone will continue to remodel and adapt over a period of a year. Running on it too much too soon is not only going to break it back down again (because it's not fully mature), but it's the cause of about 90% of all running related injuries.

I'd recommend a book by Besselink called "Run Smart" for some guidance.

Don't know what's wrong. No one can tell you a diagnosis from just a description. You need to revisit a doctor.

Read the basics about compartment syndrome:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compartment_syndrome

There are lots of medical sites on the web that will provide more detail. If you are not falling over in agony, and your leg is not turning blue, then you probably do not have that syndrome - at least not the acute variety.