Jan. 31--So what exactly happened to those Iowa football players?
Thirteen Hawkeyes were hospitalized recently with a condition known as
rhabdomyolysis.
According to rhabdomyolysis.net, that is when an injury to skeletal
muscle tissue causes it to quickly break down. It results in the release of
myoglobin and other breakdown products into the bloodstream.
Myoglobin is an iron-containing protein found in muscle fibers.
According to rhabdomyolysis.net, one of the causes of the condition is
excessive strain or activity in muscles.
Several of the Iowa players wrote on their Facebook pages that they had
taken part in workouts that involved intense weightlifting. Some later said
they were extremely sore and had "tea-colored urine."
Acute kidney failure may result from rhabdomyolysis.
Rupert Galvez, a Denver doctor who specializes in sports medicine, told
the Associated Press that the Iowa players may have been pushing their bodies
too hard after a break, which is apparently what happened to seven University
of South Carolina swimmers who had the same ailment in 2007.
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