Success and a warning about CrossFit

Every week we really look forward to the programming that the trainers are writing for their assigned days.  It's great for each trainer and guest to be exposed to modalities they may not otherwise experience if they are working with just 1 trainer in classes.  Today, Lindsay wrote out the program:

"Pull to 5000"

6 person teams

Rower - pace-keeper for 45 sec.  The each team must reach 5000m. 

other 5 members of the team are on station:

Box jumps

Wall balls

KB frontal plane lunges

KB double arm swings

Jump rope

On another topic, I would like to address something a little more serious about CrossFit; Rahbdomyolysis, or "Rhabdo" A potentially fatal condition that CrossFit has addressed and warned against many times.  Even for an experienced CrossFitter, high intensity exercise can have some severe side effects.   

I (Chuck) believe that I may have even had a case of this two years ago the night before my youngest son was born.  

We finished a WOD which included 115lb overhead squats followed immediately by a 40 yard dash for 10 rounds.  

Later that evening, I knew something was wrong.  I ached all over, was beyond lethargic, and the worst part was that I was completely coherent.  I drove myself to an urgent care where the doc took a look at me, had no answer for me, and at the time I didn't know what rhabdo was.  I kept telling him that I worked out "very, very, very very, very hard," but obviously he didn't know what rhabdo was either.  I was completely worthless in the delivery room, and I didn't hold Shelly's hand, she held mine.  Oh how I wished for an epidural too.   

It passed after a couple of days for me, but I was lucky. As Coach Glassman points out in Journal 38, there are some whom are not so lucky.  Below is a piece taken from the Journal, which I encourage you to read, especially you new crossfitters.  

Thanks again to all of you who are showing up for all of those WOD's.  It's great to have your energy in the studio,

Your PPT & CH Staff

"We warned of rhabdomyolysis in a previous issue (CrossFit Journal 33, May 2005) and return to the topic this month not only to repeat our warning but to share the lessons we’ve since learned about “exertional rhabdo.”

Before the first rhabdo case was brought to our attention, we regularly warned of CrossFit’s potency wherever we had the opportunity. In the January 2005 issue of the journal, we offered the following caution for newcomers tackling the WOD (workout of the day): “Countless bad-asses from sporting and special operations communities, long regarded as bulletproof, have been burned at the stake of ego and intensity.” As it turns out, the burning is rhabdo, and we now find ourselves obligated not just to explain CrossFit’s potency but to warn of its potential lethality.

We can dispense with much medical detail with a quick and easy description of rhabdomyolysis as a potentially lethal systemic meltdown initiated by the kidneys in response to the presence of shed muscle-fiber debris and exhaust in the bloodstream. There are several causes and types of rhabdo, classified by the underlying cause of muscle breakdown. With CrossFit we are dealing with what is known as exertional rhabdomyolysis. It can disable, maim, and even kill.

To date we have seen five cases of exertional rhabdo associated with CrossFit workouts. Each case resulted in the hospitalization of the afflicted. The longest hospital stay was six days, the shortest two days. All have made full recoveries. The hardest hit was extremely sick, the least afflicted had no complaints other than soreness. All were extremely sore. Soreness doesn’t adequately explain the discomfort of rhabdo, however. The worst hit, a SWAT guy, recounts that six days of intravenous morphine drip barely touched the pain."

"I wish I had read this article before my hospitalization for rhabdo. I thought I was in shape and had been Crossfitting beforehand and took a long break. Like it was mentioned in the article, my ego got the best of me! I am 42, and was scoring high in the Army APFT and got back into Crossfitting too fast and too hard. I started on a Tuesday and by Thursday's workout I was hurting but kept going. That night my back felt like it was trying o curve up to my head and I could not move my legs. Then real pain hit...everything hurt beyond explanation. I had to call a friend to pick me up and drive me to the ER. I was urinating dark red/brown urine and in utter pain. They hit me with 3mg of diluadid and it did not even touch the pain. It was so bad I was throwing up from the pain. I was released from the hospital and sent home. I was back in the ER on Saturday and again they misdiagnosed me and sent me home with painkillers. I was swelling up so much I could not put on my pants. Monday morning I went to the TMC and passed out there. Finally someone listened to my description and after blood and urine tests I was sent to the hospital and entered into ICU. Normal CK (creatine Ketone) levels are roughly between 100-150...mine was over 40,000. I spent 5 days hospitalized (3 in ICU), they had me on a morphine drip along with dilaudid shots and percocet and plenty of IV therapy. It's been 2 months since that episode, and I am still recovering. My lower back is completely numb from just above the sacrum to halfway down my buttocks. I am back trying to run again and it is a painful process. No one should jump in to a full workout just because they use to do it. I've learned my lesson and I hope no one has to go through rhabdo...work up to it and recognize the symptoms. If you do happen to get symptoms and go to get medical help, let them know what you are feeling and to conduct tests to rule out rhabdo or catch it early on...5 days with acute symptoms is a very painful experience and you can seriouly be hurt with renal failure or a myocardial infarction."