Doctors can diagnose rhabdomyolysis with lab tests. According to Medscape, the most reliable way to diagnose this condition is to assess creatine kinase (CK) levels. If levels are five times higher than they should be, rhabdomyolysis may be present. However, CK levels may be 100 times higher than normal (or more) when this condition occurs.

If rhabdomyolysis is diagnosed, intravenous fluids will be given immediately. The sooner rehydration starts, the less likely a patient is to go into renal failure.  (For example, if rhabdomyolysis is suspected in a person who is trapped due to a crushing injury, fluids may be given before the trapped area of the body has been released.)  Further, doctors will track urine output. Doctors will often want to increase the PH in urine to decrease the toxicity associated with myoglobin.  

If you’re an athlete, you’re probably wondering how to know if you’ve developed rhabdomyolysis. When this condition develops, athletes report stiffness and muscle soreness as being very noticeable.  For example, one blogger who developed rhabdomyolysis said she couldn’t bend her arms past ninety degrees. This may be different than regularly sore muscles in that soreness can make normal activities difficult.  And rather than getting better, the pain gets worse.  In addition, swelling occurs. For example, it may feel like your arms are water balloons that are about to burst. But remember that this condition may be present with no symptoms.

Though rhabdomyolysis is a scary thing that athletes face, there are a number of steps that you can take to prevent it.

1. The first is to ease into exercise. According to Cross Fit Impulse, it’s important to refrain from going all out after a break from working out. Get back into it over time.