Woman Issued Warning After Common Workout Led to 'Muscle Death Disease'
The woman was doing the gym cardio activity for just 15 minutes and it led to her being hospitalised.
John McDougall
Going to the gym and getting a workout in for many of us is a way to improve our health - but for one woman it led to her being hospitalised with an illness after just 15 minutes of exercise.
Savanna Stebbins revealed via her TikTok the moment she had to be taken to a hospital emergency room after suddenly falling ill at a gym.
She had been taking part in a spin class, which are group indoor cycling classes usually with an instructor coaching participants through the session.
But Stebbins had to head to hospital after taking part in the class for just 15 minutes.
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Taking to the social media platform last year, Stebbins wrote in an overlay to her video: "Literally did 15 mins of one Cyclebar class and gave myself the MUSCLE DEATH DISEASE now I'm in the hospital.
"Beware of cycling you might get Rhabdo."
The video shows her in a hospital bed as she poses with a peace sign and various other hand gestures to make it clear she is okay.
In the video caption, she added: "Apparently this disease isn’t as rare as it may seem."
Stebbins has since posted multiple TikToks which suggests she is no longer feeling the impact of the illness.
Rhabdo is the shortened name of rhabdomyolysis, which is a muscle injury and can lead to muscles breaking down.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the condition can be life-threatening and can occur following an injury or excessive exercise without rest.
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include muscle swelling, weak muscles, tender and sore muscles, and urine which is dark in colour, either brown, red or like tea.
Symptoms can be mild to severe and typically develop between one to three days following a muscle injury.
Other symptoms include dehydration, nausea, loss of consciousness and decreased urination.
When the muscles break down as part of the condition, their toxic components can then enter the kidneys and cause damage to them.
The organisation says: "This dangerous muscle condition can result from overexertion, trauma, medications or an underlying health condition.
"Common signs and symptoms of rhabdomyolysis are weak muscles, muscle stiffness, muscle pain and a change in your pee colour."
The clinic adds that the condition is 'uncommon' and that around 26,000 people in the USA develop it each year.