Paralympian Amy Purdy Just Got Diagnosed with Rhabdo—Here’s What You Need to Know
Amy says she did a series of pullups and “simply pushed too hard to complete the set.” Though her muscles were sore, it was the swelling in her arm that caused her to rush to the ER, she wrote.
Hey Friends! I’d like to fill you in on the last few days of my life. I am going on day 4 in the hospital after developing a very serious condition called Rhabdomyolysis. You should google it and read about it, its crazy. It basically can occur when you overwork a muscle group and the muscle begins to breakdown into your blood stream. It can severely damage kidneys pretty quickly and as most of you know I have a kidney transplant which was a big concern. I have been training as I prepare for the snowboard season and 1 day last week I pushed myself too hard. It seemed to happen so innocently, I did a series of Pull-ups and simply pushed too hard to complete the set. My muscles were a bit sore for a day, nothing bad but then I noticed a bit of swelling in my arm and having a friend in the hospital with this condition last year, I rushed to the ER where they confirmed I had it too. It’s been a very intense week hooked up to machines supporting my kidney through this process. It’s so crazy to be so healthy and to think you are doing good for your body, then to suddenly have a life threatening condition occur. As scary and serious as this has been, I have been very blessed that my Kidney has stayed strong. I’m also lucky I came in when I did, had I of waited a few more hours before going to the ER my situation could have easily been critical. That being said, my numbers are moving in the right direction, it’s just going to take some time to recover. I wanted to share this with all of you because for 1, I believe social media should give insight into our lives, and life doesn’t always have a pretty filter. Also, I want to inform you about this disorder that can happen to anyone. You have to listen to your body.. when it is telling you to stop.. Stop! My Dr said, we all have a breaking point, and I just happened to find mine. I will share regular updates through my recovery. Thanks for the love and support friends. ?
A photo posted by Amy Purdy (@amypurdygurl) on Oct 26, 2016 at 7:48am PDT
John-Paul H. Rue, M.D., an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Baltimore’s Mercy Medical Center specializing in the prevention and treatment of injuries, says pushing it too hard is one of the most common ways people get rhabdomyolysis. While your muscles are constantly breaking down (and rebuilding) during the workout process, “the danger is when that breakdown becomes excessive,” he says.
RELATED: I Got Rhabdo and It Nearly Destroyed My Body
And Luga Podesta, M.D., director of sports medicine at St. Charles Orthopedics in New York, stresses that this can happen to anyone. “You may think you’re in good shape but everyone’s threshold is different,” he says.
But there’s a noticeable difference between the effects of completing a hard workout and rhabdomyolysis. “If you work out today, you may feel soreness later,” Rue explains. “This is above and beyond that. It’s ‘I have the worst Charley horse ever,’ and it’s all over your body.” It also gets worse with time. People with rhabdomyolysis may also have difficulty moving, swelling, and dark urine, he says.
One major risk of rhabdomyolysis is kidney failure, says Amy, which is a huge concern for her since she’s had a kidney transplant. “It’s been a very intense week, hooked up to machines supporting my kidney through this process,” she says. “It’s so crazy to be so healthy and to think you are doing good for your body, then to suddenly have a life-threatening condition occur.”
Amy says her kidney is doing well, likely because she sought help when she did. “Had I waited a few more hours before going to the ER, my situation could have easily been critical,” she said.
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Amy says she wanted to share her story because rhabdomyolysis can happen to anyone. “You have to listen to your body,” she said. “When it is telling you to stop…stop! My doctor said we all have a breaking point, and I just happened to find mine.”
Hydration—but not overhydration—can help prevent the condition, says Rue. Podesta also recommends ramping up the intensity of your workouts slowly. “That can also help prevent stress fractures or other types of injuries,” he says. Unfortunately, it’s tough to say exactly what type of workout or level of intensity will lead to rhabdo, since everyone’s body is different.
While you may read this and freak out, Rue says you shouldn’t. If you like to work out hard, you’re probably OK, provided you drink plenty of fluids and listen to your body. However, keep the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis on the backburner, just in case. “It’s probably more common than we suspect,” Rue says.