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Doctors have warned about taking part in extreme fitness challenges following an incident where a gym member was hospitalized due to severe kidney damage caused by performing 2,000 squats as part of a bet.
The unidentified 20-year-old from Russia was certain he could finish the enormous job in one sitting.
However, before he completed it, his limbs started swelling drastically, causing intense agony.
Once his condition deteriorated, he hurried to the emergency room where healthcare professionals found out he was suffering from rhabdomyolysis — an uncommon muscular damage leading to rapid breakdown of tissues.
If not treated, this situation could be life-threatening.
The tests indicated that his kidneys were operating at just 50 percent efficiency, as per a report issued by the medical staff at the Vladivostok Clinical Hospital, where he received treatment.
Kidney injury frequently occurs in cases of rhabdomyolysis due to a damaging protein released when muscles break down.
This substance, known as myoglobin, moves through the bloodstream to reach the kidneys, where it breaks down into compounds that can cause fatal kidney failure.
The Russian medical team noted several indicative symptoms in their patient, such as 'dark brown' urine and elevated levels of Creatinine, which the kidneys typically maintain at balanced levels.
The doctors managed to address the acute kidney failure without needing dialysis, however, the issue still persists.
The 20-year old now faces up to a year of rehabilitation, the doctors reported.
It came about when an American woman was admitted to the hospital last month due to her condition. rhabdomyolysis set off by a rigorous spinning session.
"literally completed only 15 minutes of a single Cyclebar session and ended up with what felt like the 'MUSCLE FAILURE SYNDROME.' Now I'm in the hospital," Savanna Stebbins, a TikToker, captioned an image overlaid on her video clip while lying in bed.
'Be cautious about cycling...this condition appears more common than one might think.'
Rhabdomyolysis occurs when muscles suffer such severe damage that their fibers begin to break down, resulting in muscle destruction.
Once this occurs, harmful substances infiltrate the bloodstream and make their way to various organs.
The symptoms encompass weakened muscles, muscular rigidity, muscle soreness, and a alteration in the hue of one’s urine.
Approximately 26,000 individuals in the United States contract this ailment each year, with roughly one out of every 20 cases resulting in death.
Athletes such as long-distance runners, individuals attending spinning classes, and those engaging in intense interval training face an increased likelihood of encountering this issue.
At the beginning of this month, medical professionals cautioned about a widely followed CrossFit challenge following reports from a previous champion of Worlds' Strongest Man claiming his arm muscles 'burst' upon trying it.
Michael Congdon, aged 32, finished the challenging Murph Challenge last May, which includes numerous squats, push-ups, and pull-ups, along with two one-mile runs.
However, shortly after the competition started, he observed his biceps beginning to swell.
As a standout performer in the 2018 World’s Strongest Man contest, the heavyweight bodybuilder had faith in his capabilities.
Nevertheless, he quickly found himself in tears as his arm muscles started to deteriorate and perish.
The Cleveland Clinic states that the key element in avoiding rhabdomyolysis is providing sufficient recovery time between workouts that heavily strain the muscles.
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