By Murray Sherriffs
Do you work out?
Intensely?
Health officials say these hard sweats, driven at times by social media pressure are spiking rhabdomyolysis cases in young women between the ages of 19 and 30.
Rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) happens when muscle tissue is severely damaged and breaks down, leaking enzymes and other substances into the blood.
It’s painful and can cause urine to turn the colour of black tea and can damage the kidneys.
The experts say that a pressure to flex on social media appears to be fuelling workouts that land people in hospital.
They say that there’s a culture that encourages extreme activities—multiple daily spin classes, for example—and to post on social media how many repeats that you’ve done and how high you’ve got your heart rate.