A Workout Hospitalized A Group Of College Athletes. Could It Happen To You?

After an intense bout of exercise, players from the Tufts men's lacrosse team ended up in the hospital with a rare but serious muscle condition.

Over the weekend, Tufts University announced that 12 players on the men’s lacrosse team had been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a rare but serious condition where your muscles break down. Some of the athletes are now in the hospital for the condition, which can lead to disability and death if not properly addressed. The affected players came down with rhabdomyolysis after a voluntary 45-minute workout.

While rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo, happened to college athletes in this situation, that’s not always the case. Rhabdo is a medical phenomenon that can occur in athletes and non-athletes alike, according to Dr. Lutul Farrow, the executive director of Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine.

“At its very core, it’s just explained by damage to the muscle following extreme exercise,” Farrow said. “Essentially, the muscle cells themselves actually are overworked, and their cell walls break down and they spill all their contents, which is something we call myoglobin, into the soft tissues in the bloodstream.”

Beyond exercise, the Centers for Disease Control notes that rhabdomyolysis can occur after any kind of muscle damage, including damage from accidents and heat.

“In very severe cases, it could certainly be threatening to your end organs, especially the kidney, and can actually be life-threatening if not addressed,” Farrow said.