Comment on: “CrossFit and rhabdomyolysis: A case series of 11 patients presenting at a single academic institution”

• Published in: Journal of science and medicine in sport Vol. 22; no. 9; pp. 974 - 975
• Main Authors: Dominski, Fábio Hech, Siqueira, Thaís Cristina, Serafim, Thiago Teixeira, Andrade, Alexandro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2019; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Exercise; Injuries
• ISSN: 1440-2440; 1878-1861
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2019.04.011

CrossFit® training has been shown to be effective for improvement of several physical fitness parameters and offers numerous health benefits, including enhanced cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power and balance.2,3 Due to its challenging and motivational nature, participation in CrossFit training has shown significant growth in both healthy and obese individuals, and is popular among the military and athletes.4 The increase in participation has been accompanied by increased concern about injuries,3 including rhabdomyolysis. [...]data would allow calculation of the odds ratio for estimation of the risk of exertional rhabdomyolysis.7 As described by the authors,1 exertional rhabdomyolysis is associated with factors other than high-intensity training alone, such as limited exercise experience, eccentric muscle contraction, hot environments, electrolyte imbalance, male sex, low protein diets, statin use, alcohol ingestion, and creatine supplementation. High-intensity functional training sessions (HIFT) characterized by high volume and intensity, such as CrossFit, may precipitate exertional rhabdomyolysis; however, this will depend on the training protocol (duration, intensity, type of exercise performed) and level of individual conditioning.5 Hopkins et al. also express concern about an increase in the incidence of injuries caused by the growth of CrossFit participation; however, most of the literature indicates that the prevalence and incidence of injuries in CrossFit practitioners are similar to those associated with several other sports and exercise modalities.3,5,13–15 Moreover, the authors presented an average injury rate of about 19%, based on data from a reference that is no longer available (News.com.au.