Rhabdomyolysis in a collegiate football player

Rhabdomyolysis is a serious, potentially life threatening condition that can develop unexpectedly under supervised training conditions. Here we present a case of exertional rhabdomyolysis occurring in a healthy, fit 18-year-old placekicker following a supervised practice session led by the team's strength and conditioning coach. The day after this session, the player experienced extreme pain and dark urine and sought treatment at a local emergency department. Hospitalization resulted in a diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis based on myoglobinuria, muscle pain, and extremely elevated circulating creatine kinase values (>130,000 IU x L(-1)). Following eight days of hospitalization with intravenous fluids, the patient recovered without complications. This case illustrates that rhabdomyolysis can occur after strenuous exercise in the absence of dehydration in otherwise conditioned and healthy athletes.