Rhabdomyolysis: Working it's way from Iowa City into the national consciousness

Rhabdomyolysis was nothing more than 14 random letters for many of us until two weeks ago when it was a plague upon the Iowa football team.

Since then, it's become better known. It is a condition in which muscle tissue breaks down and floods the bloodstream with a protein that can impair kidney function. Which sounds bizarre in itself, but not as weird as the fact it sent 13 Iowa players to the hospital.

Shari Roan, who got her degree in journalism from Iowa, wrote about the subject for the Los Angeles Times in Sunday's edition. For her entire story, click here. Excerpts:

In the past, exertional rhabdomyolysis was mostly seen in isolated cases among military recruits or marathon runners. Some deaths have occurred, and police and military trainers are now well aware of the problem, said Priscilla M. Clarkson, a University of Massachusetts kinesiologist. ...

It's difficult to know when vigorous strength training has crossed the line and athletes are at risk of rhabdomyolysis, Clarkson said. Tiny tears occur in muscles after any strenuous workout. The healing of these micro-tears, which causes the soreness people feel after hard exercise, is what prompts the muscle to become stronger. ...

Dehydration increases the risk. Eccentric exercise, in which muscle fibers are lengthened as they contract - such as with squats and push-ups - is usually involved in triggering the syndrome, Clarkson said.

However, some cases of rhabdomyolysis also appear to involve a coach's or trainer's enthusiasm for working athletes to the brink of collapse, Hawkins said.

Roan's story is even-handed and casts no judgments or aspersions on anyone. Check it out.