Believe it or not– but even exercising can be life threatening if one overdoes it.
While pain is not always recognized as a good sign, after a workout session it is often recognized as a sign that your workout has been productive. But in some cases, overbearing pain could be due to a condition called rhabdomyolysis, also known as “rhabdo.” Although rhabdomyolysis is rare, it is a life threatening condition usually caused by muscle trauma; overexerted muscles release toxic content into the bloodstream, which can lead to serious health complications such as kidney failure.
One of the most recent documented cases of rhabdomyolysis was last month. Thirty-three year old Christopher Michael Everett, attended SoulCycle– his first ever spin cycle class in June. He sat in the front of the class and went into beast mode, and within 10 minutes of the class he began to feel abnormal pain in his thighs but regardless he continued his workout, CNN reported.
Later that night excruciating pain in his thighs prevented him from sleeping, so like many first world millennials, Everett took to the internet to research his symptoms, which included soreness, swollen thighs, nausea and immobility in the knees. When he came across a blog post, written by a woman who experienced the condition a few years ago, he realized that all his symptoms were listed. So Everett immediately went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis.
“They say go big or go home. I probably should have went home,” Everett told CNN. Because his thighs were swollen immensely, doctors suggested operative measures. “He was like, ‘if your thighs get any more swollen, we’re going to have to cut those open,’ ” Everett said. Fortunately, they did not so he did have to undergo surgery. After his diagnosis, he spent a week in the hospital being treated.
The woman whose blog post Everett came across belonged to Christina D’Ambrosio, a kindergarten teacher from Pleasantville, N.Y. She too fell ill to rhabdomyolysis and spent two weeks in the hospital, the New York Times reported.
Rhabdo has long been documented among individuals whose professions are physically demanding, including soldiers and firefighters. There have also been cases of college athletes engaged in intense workouts, the Times reported. But now doctors are reporting cases caused by high intense workouts, such as P9OX, CrossFit, weight lifting, running and especially spinning.
In severe cases of the condition, one’s kidneys may shut down resulting in the patient going on dialysis. Kidney failure can then lead to other health complications that could eventually cause death.
“I’ve had patients come in who can’t walk. They can’t get out of bed. They call 911 because their muscles don’t work,” Dr. Derek Fine, associate professor of medicine and interim chief of nephrology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, told CNN.
The condition can affect individuals no matter their age or workout level – whether they work out regularly or hardly at all. Individuals who are fit typically get it if they push themselves too hard or if they try a new exercise that works a different muscle group, Dr. Alan Coffino, a nephrologist and chairman of medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York told CNN.
In April, The American Journal of Medicine, which was co-authored by Dr. Coffino, outlined three different cases in a study about Rhabdo. Two cases involving 33-year-olds and another involving a 20-year-old– each who experienced the condition after spinning. In the study, a total of 46 cases were documented, and of that 42 cases occurred following a first spin class.
The study also states that in order to prevent rhabdomyolysis from spinning: beginners need to know how to gradually increase the time and cadence on the indoor cycle, know the importance of staying hydrated and the need to avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. And in order to safe guard participants prior to the workout, they should know the risks of rhabdomyolysis and its signs and symptoms.
“I just wish SoulCycle would have said at the beginning of the class, ‘if you work out too hard, this can happen to you,’ “Everett said.
