The Sports Doctor Podcast

Dr. Steve Horwitz, CEO of TeamSafe®Sports, was interviewed by Dr. Bob Weil, the host of the Sports Doctor Podcast. Listen here.

University of Houston Rhabdomyolysis

What is Rhabdomyolysis?

The word can be divided into three parts:

• Rhabdo mean "rod" or "wand" and refers to the shape of the muscle fiber.
• Myo means muscle.
• Lysis means destruction.

Thus the word means the destruction of muscle fibers which can lead to myalgias (muscle pain), muscle weakness, and darkened urine, then kidney failure and possibly death. It is frequently called "Rhabdo" for short.

The medical literature first described rhabdo as far back as WWI as a "Crush Injury" whereby skeletal muscle becomes damaged under the weight of a heavy object as in trauma from war (Ref). Exercise as a cause of rhabdo was first described again in the military 60 years ago in military recruits during training (Ref). Cases of rhabdo in the sports world were reported 50 years ago and by the 1980s and 1990s (Ref), many reports were made in the scientific literature (Ref).

By the 2000s, rhabdo was well known in Division 1 and high school sports. Unfortunately, one of the initial reports stated that rhabdo was due to a "punishment" workout (>250 squat jumps) forced on a 12-year-old girl for talking in class (Ref).

• 2006, 8 female lacrosse athletes at UNC (Ref).
• 2007, 7 University of South Carolina swimmers (Ref).
• 2010, 14 Oregon high school football players (Ref).
• 2011, 3 Maryland high school football players (Ref) and 13 University of Iowa football players (Ref).
• 2013, 6 Ohio State women's lacrosse players (Ref).
• 2014, 6 Ohio State women's track and field athletes (Ref) and 3 University of Oakland female swimmers (Ref).
• 2017, 6 Butler University softball players (Ref) and 3 University of Oregon football players (Ref).

In January 2019, at least 12 University of Houston female soccer athletes were hospitalized for rhabdo. Most troubling is that in February 2018 a female soccer athlete was hospitalized due to rhabdo after a "punishment" workout. The school's investigative report actually states that the Athletics Department "acted appropriately." You can read this article and the full report here.

Parents, you simply MUST be present, ask questions and DEMAND safety training, procedures, and equipment be in place.

It is YOUR CHILD out there. Think about that carefully.

********

Schedule a free 30 minute safety and risk assessment with Dr. Steve Horwitz, CEO and Founder of TeamSafe​®Sports and prepare today!

Click here: calendly.com/drstevenhorwitz

******************************************************************************************************

Follow Us: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamsafesports 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/teamsafesports  

In Partnership for Youth Sports Safety,

The TeamSafe​®Sports Institute

If you do not wish to receive any more newsletters, simply Unsubscribe.