You may have heard the scares lately about "Spinning disease" . . . or maybe it has been branded "CrossFit disease" in your community. Either way, the labeling is not painting a clear picture. Have you heard of rhabdomyolisis? Referred as "rhabdo," for short, this serious medical condition can be life threatening if you don't catch it — and healthy, young people who exercise frequently can be at risk. Here's what you need to know.
Rhabdomyolysis is a rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. This breakdown in turn releases myoglobin [a protein from your muscle tissue] into your bloodstream, which your body doesn't need — it's a "waste." This waste ends up at your kidneys where it needs to be filtered out. But the thing is, your kidneys aren't equipped to handle this amount of waste (those little guys are good at their job, but they can only do so much!). The influx of waste and overload on your kidneys can lead to kidney damage or kidney failure, which can be fatal.
"Initial symptoms can be very subtle," said Dr. Stephanie Long, MD at One Medical. She gave us some information on what to look out for (and why it happens):
Despite rhabdo being referred to as "CrossFit Disease" and "Spinning Disease," it's not exclusive to exercise.
We asked Dr. Long why CrossFit and Spinning tend to yield more cases of rhabdo, and she told us it has to do with the intensity of these workouts. "For patients who are new to a sport or activity, it's easy not to understand where you are at [in terms of physical capability] and what is too intense for your muscles," she told POPSUGAR. "People get dehydrated, and they are doing intense, fast repetitions with a lot of muscle load. You need to build up to that over time."
Want to keep rhabdo from happening to you? Of course you do. According to Dr. Long, it's a very simple three-step process:
Rhabdo requires immediate medical attention. "We treat rhabdomyolysis with fluid rehydration in the hospital," Dr. Long told POPSUGAR. "A very small percentage of the time, a patient's kidneys need more aggressive support and require dialysis." She noted that if you experience any of the aforementioned symptoms "after a tough, new workout or starting a new medication, like a statin," visit your healthcare provider immediately.