Exertional Rhabdomyolysis in a Type-1 Diabetic Powerlifter

Introduction: Exertional rhabdomyolysis is a muscular injury brought on when an individual performs an unaccustomed volume of exercise and may lead to compartment syndrome, kidney damage, and cardiovascular issues. Symptoms include severe myalgia, muscle weakness, and tea-colored urine. The injury is typically diagnosed using blood creatine kinase (CK) levels, which present above normal thresholds in the presence of unusual muscle damage. A factor making this case uncommon involves the subject’s diabetic status. Type-1 diabetes is a health condition in which the subject’s pancreas does not produce enough insulin to manage normal blood sugar ranges. Abnormal blood sugar values may damage body tissues and have also been connected to non-exertional rhabdomyolysis cases. Methods: This study is a rare case report of an exertional rhabdomyolysis injury sustained by a type-1 diabetic female collegiate powerlifter (age: 19 yr, height: 160 cm, weight: 61.2 kg). A narrative was constructed from interviews with the subject, including training logs, diet logs, medication notes, and medical records. Approval for the study was granted by the university institutional review board. Results: CK levels (2302 UL) upon admission to the emergency room were above reference levels for female athletes (47-513 U/L); therefore, exertional rhabdomyolysis was diagnosed. Conclusion: This study reveals details of a rare injury to a type 1 diabetic athlete. Knowledge of these circumstances may prevent training injuries in others. Because of local myalgia isolated to the anterior abdomen, the abdominal exercises (30 reverse hyperextensions with a 9.07 kg weight) were considered at fault