(Very) high creatine kinase (CK) levels after Whole-Body Electromyostimulation. Are there implications for health?

Recently extreme increases in serum creatine-kinase (CK) concentration after initial whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) were reported that indicating a severe (exertional) rhabdomyolysis. Thus our aim was (1) to verify the reported WB-EMS induced CK-increases, (2) to determine the corresponding consequences for health and (3) to assess physiological CK-adaptation to frequent WB-EMS. Thirty-seven eligible WB-EMS novices and six marathon runners living in the Nürnberg-Erlangen area were included. Trail-I and trial-II determined the effect of one single WB-EMS session to exertion (20 min) on electrolytes, muscular and renal parameters; trial-III evaluated the effect of once a week WB-EMS application for 10 weeks on CK-kinetics. Blood samples of corresponding serum parameters were drawn before, immediately after and 24, 48, 72, and 96 h post WB-EMS exercise. After WB-EMS, serum CK-levels increased by the 96-fold (peak-CK: 23.940 ± 24.545 U/L), 8.5-fold higher compared with CK-increases after a marathon run. However, we did not observe any relevant health consequences with respect to cardiac and renal burdens. Further, following the repeated bout effect, 10 weeks of WB-EMS resulted in a 21-fold reduction of CK-concentration (