Exercises are nice, however what occurs when your dedication to health pushes your physique past its restrict? It could possibly even be lethal. For a 41-year-old health fanatic from Scotland with an orange belt in karate, what started as an intense session quickly spiraled right into a medical emergency most gym-goers are unaware of.
After an intense karate session in March, Gemma Underwood discovered herself unable to get off the bed, her arms had ballooned, and her muscle mass have been painfully swollen and tight. The true alarm got here throughout a visit to the lavatory, when she seen her urine had turned a darkish brown shade, resembling “Coca-Cola.”
Realizing one thing was critically flawed, she rushed to the emergency room, the place medical doctors recognized her with rhabdomyolysis, a uncommon however critical situation involving the breakdown and demise of muscle tissue.
Rhabdomyolysis, or “rhabdo,” happens when overworked muscle mass start to interrupt down, releasing poisonous proteins into the bloodstream that may result in kidney failure and even demise. The situation can have an effect on anybody, and early warning indicators typically embody muscle swelling, weak point, and soreness.
Probably the most telling signs is dark-colored urine, which can seem brown, purple, or tea-like.
Whereas signs normally develop one to a few days after intense muscle pressure or damage, some individuals might not discover any apparent soreness. In additional extreme instances, rhabdo may cause dehydration, decreased urination, nausea, and even lack of consciousness.
In Underwood’s case, the muscle disintegration was triggered by a scarcity of hydration.
“Medical doctors stated I wasn’t hydrated sufficient whereas doing an intense exercise. I ought to have been ingesting extra water earlier than,” Underwood instructed Dailymail. She was hospitalized for 5 days, administered fluids, and fitted with a catheter to assist her get well.
“I’m at present resting, no train in any respect for at the very least three weeks, and ingesting loads of fluids,” she stated.
Recovering after the terrifying expertise, Underwood now warns others to not go overboard with train, particularly with out correct relaxation, hydration, and consciousness of their physique’s limits.
“It is one thing that may occur to anybody. I used to be very scared figuring out I might have died. Ensure you’re hydrated earlier than any exercise, it would not matter how intense it’s,” she warned.
