() – Three Tufts University men’s lacrosse players remain hospitalized after a voluntary, supervised 45-minute workout with a Navy SEAL graduate that left them with a dangerous condition called rhabdomyolysis, the university said. A university spokesman had previously said five remained hospitalized.
The Sept. 16 training was instructed by a Tufts alumnus who is a “recent graduate of the BUD/S Navy SEAL training program,” which stands for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training, according to Patrick Collins, the university’s executive director of media relations.
“Approximately 50 team members participated in the workout. All have been evaluated by medical professionals, with a total of nine requiring hospitalization for rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo),” Collins said in an updated statement Monday. “Three remain hospitalized.”
Rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo, a rare condition that can be life-threatening, occurs when muscles break down, possibly even disintegrate, after a strenuous workout, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Broken down muscle fibers can contain large amounts of elements like potassium and phosphate that can be released into the bloodstream, causing kidney complications, the Cleveland Clinic says.
“The most common symptoms are a feeling of prolonged muscle stiffness, discomfort and weakness,” Dr. Shruti Gupta, an associate physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who specializes in kidney disease, told affiliate WCVB in an interview while explaining more about the condition. “We usually see these cases more in isolation and so it’s puzzling that it occurs in particular … in people who are athletes.”
Following the training and hospitalizations, Tufts University has postponed team practice and appointed an independent outside investigator to review what happened.
“The university continues to closely monitor the condition of the team, and some individual members of the team have been medically cleared to resume training,” Collins said. “The team is a close-knit group of young people who have shown remarkable resilience, understanding and care for each other during this episode. We will continue to monitor and work closely with them, and look forward to a quick return to good health for all involved.”
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