‘I tried a new gym class and was in the hospital for days’: the Buzzy -practitioning that can be deadly – because fitness fanatics share horror stories

The expression ‘no pain, no profit’ has been heard on gym floors as a source of motivation for decades – but what if that pain is actually your body that you begs to stop?

Mother of two Ruta, from Boston, had the shock of her life after she received a phone call from her doctor while she was sitting on a plane on her way to Frankfurt.

Earlier that week, Ruta had tried a group -strength -training class called Upper Body Burnout – a mentioned new training that is designed to push the muscles of the upper body to the limit by exercises with a high repetition.

When she returned the next day, she could hardly pass the first five minutes because of pain and exhaustion. In fact, her triceps were so painful that she couldn’t even lift her arms to wash her hair.

Yet the Peppy instructor encouraged her to keep pushing herself – so she did.

The weekend rolled around and she had a few glasses of wine that was not right with her because she felt dried out. She also looked pretty burned.

“On Sunday swelled against both of my arms,” ​​Ruta adds. It was a worrying collection of symptoms, so she decided to visit a doctor with her trip to Germany threatening.

“My doctor thought it was strange to have swollen arms in this way, but said it was probably due to the sunburn,” says Ruta.

‘But to be safe, he ordered bloodwork to test my liver panel. He said, “Go ahead and enjoy your vacation unless you hear from me.” Because I didn’t hear from him, I finally came on a flight.

‘While the plane started taxiing from the gate, my doctor called me and said that I had to get off the flight immediately and go to first aid. They waited for me. ‘

That phone call saved the life of Ruta.

She suffered from the few well -known but extremely serious state that is known as rabdomyolysis – often called ‘rhabdo’.

Rhabdo occurs when muscle tissue quickly breaks down and releases substances in the bloodstream. It is often caused by traumatic injury – such as electric shock or being crushed – but it can also be activated by intense exercise and muscle tension.

Specialist Dr. Sarah Wood tells me common symptoms of Rhabdo include pain in the muscles that were heavily exerted and dark brown or red urine.

Ruta was in the hospital for three days and was held on a strong IV drop to wash the toxins from her kidneys.

“I was shocked by how few people are aware of it – including my trainer in a specialized gym that had never heard of it,” she tells me.

‘I recovered completely without permanent kidney damage, but if I had taken that flight, I would probably have ended up on dialysis. The worst-case scenario is that I would not have survived the eight-hour flight. So I was literally stored by that phone call! ‘

Fitness coach Julie Gollnick also had Rabdomyolysis in 2023.

Despite training and being used to physical exertion every day, a particularly intense gym class was sufficient to activate the potentially deadly condition.

On August 19, 2023, she followed a CrossFit class that made her feel ‘super strong and impressed’ of herself – but things took a turn three days later.

‘In the next few days I felt normal pain. Then on Tuesday the pain in my arms felt super tight and my motion range. I couldn’t return my hair or touch my face comfortably, “she says.

‘My arm was painful in a way that I had never felt before and started to swell enormously. It was so wild because I was at a lunch meeting and couldn’t get my fork to my mouth. It influenced my mobility. ‘

The 45-year-old mother, from New Jersey, had no idea what the swelling caused and her partner suggested that she was going to first aid.

‘The doctors did not equate the swelling to Rhabdo and originally did not think it was what it was. But the urine and blood tests showed increased CK (creatine kinase) levels and liver enzymes, “she recalls. These are common signs of the condition.

‘Although I had done a lot of hard training, it noticed as possibly the most difficult I have ever done.

‘Later, the nephrologist [a specialist in kidney disease] said it would be very unlikely that I develop it again, but said that I had to be aware of training of such an extreme intensity. ‘

The specialist explained how ‘normal’ CK levels falter about 34-145 units per liter, but Julie’s was shot up to 39,000 u/l.

Julie stayed in the hospital for six days and was fired when her CK levels returned to a normal level.

‘My advice is to do absolutely challenging training sessions, but if you do something very intense at a rapid pace, you may be too distracted at the moment to realize that the training is too much. Stay hydrated and listen to your body, “she says.

In January, Jack Gipson prepared to participate in a marathon and walked between 112 km and 144 km per week in the run -up to the race.

The day before the event he started to ‘feel’.

“I didn’t know it yet, but I had developed the flu. I tried to run the marathon and made it 17 miles (27 km) before my body issued it and I was taken to the hospital by ambulance, “says Jack, from Texas,.

“The flu plus hypothermia eventually put so much stress on my body – and moreover I developed Rhabdo.”

He had a high fever of 103 ° F (39 ° C), extreme body pain, nausea, vomiting and he could not move without help.

Jack stayed in the hospital for two days and was sent home for a week and a half to rest before he could return to work.

‘Doctors originally did not want me to train for a while. I took two weeks off and went to the doctors because I still had squeaking problems because I also have asthma, “he said.

“They told me that I started training again very quickly compared to what other individuals can usually do.”

“Since the incident I have not had long -term effects and I have been running and worked as normal,” he adds.

‘It was a tough time when I had it, but I am glad I got through it. I do think that as a large audience we have to be trained more about its dangers. ‘

What causes rabdomyolysis?

The causes for this condition can vary, but the most common are extreme exercises and overload – especially in warm weather.

Dr. Wood agrees and tells me: ‘Clinically, the majority of what I have seen as a doctor, follows an important exercise, especially in the context of dehydration.

‘A classic example is someone who is not very active to run a half marathon the day after a night in the pub.

‘Another common clinical photo that is seen in hospitals can be older people who have fallen and have a “long lie” – that time for a longer time before they are helped.

“In general it is a kind of trauma on the muscles – whether unusual exercise, burns, a crush injury or sometimes a viral disease.”

Other causes of RHABDO are alcohol and drug use (both prescribed and recreational) and serious infections.

What to do if you have symptoms

“The two largest factors are hydration and the removal of the cause, if it is underway,” advises Dr. Wood.

‘Consider it from the hydration perspective if the system wash away. The cell components released in the bloodstream can damage the kidneys and other organs, so diluting this helps.

“Recovery takes time and enough protein to rebuild the muscle.”

Above all, if the symptoms persist, immediately find medical help and do not delay.