Muscle disintegration, organ failure, blood poisoning?! These alarming symptoms are not part of a sci-fi disaster, but rather the reality of rhabdomyolysis, also known as “rhabdo.”
Every few months and years, news surfaces of athletes ending up in the emergency room due to rhabdo. Recent incidents include 12 members of the Tufts University lacrosse team being diagnosed with rhabdo after training and a person experiencing arm swelling post an intense CrossFit workout. Even a contestant from The Bachelor, Medina Alam, shared her experience with rhabdo.
Rhabdo typically affects individuals engaging in highly intense workouts involving heavy physical exertion. While such exercises can be beneficial for experienced individuals, it’s crucial to listen to your body’s signals during the workout and avoid pushing yourself too hard.
Research indicates a connection between CrossFit and rhabdo cases. While the percentage of rhabdo cases among CrossFitters is small, the number of cases is increasing as CrossFit gains popularity in gyms and training centers.
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It’s important to understand more about rhabdo to comprehend why it appears to be associated with certain exercise modalities like CrossFit.
What is rhabdomyolysis?
The condition linked to exercise is exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER), which involves the breakdown of skeletal muscle due to strenuous or extreme exercise. Overworked muscles can break down, leading to kidney failure as the protein byproducts enter the bloodstream but cannot be processed by the kidneys.
What are the symptoms of rhabdo?
Physicians look for muscle pain, swelling, dark urine, and muscle weakness as primary symptoms. Severe swelling can occur, along with additional symptoms like fever, confusion, nausea, and vomiting.
Well+Good articles reference scientific, reliable, recent, robust studies to back up the information we share. You can trust us along your wellness journey.
- Hopkins BS, Li D, Svet M, Kesavabhotla K, Dahdaleh NS. CrossFit and rhabdomyolysis: A case series of 11 patients presenting at a single academic institution. J Sci Med Sport. 2019 Jul;22(7):758-762. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2019.01.019. Epub 2019 Feb 22. PMID: 30846355.
