What Happened To This Delhi Youth When He Went Gymming Post Unlock 3.0?

New Delhi: Akshay Bindra, 18 of Delhi was so overwhelmed by the news of gyms reopening that he hit it almost immediately and did a vigourous workout for more than an hour.

“That same evening, he began to suffer from extreme muscle fatigue, body stiffness, and pain, along with vomiting,” reported The New Indian Express (TNIE) quoting a Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj statement given to PTI.

Doctors said on Thursday that the workout led to a medical condition that caused malfunctioning of his kidneys.

Gyms are slowly reopening in the city under ‘Unlock 3’ norms and people are “rushing to exercise” after staying at home for months, a leading private hospital claimed, reported TNIE quoting PTI.

The case of 18-year-old Lakshay Bindra from Delhi highlights the “adverse health consequences of excessive and aggressive gymming” after months of staying in at home, it said.

“Bindra, an avid gymming enthusiast, wanted to make up for the lost time when his favourite gym reopened after months of lockdown. He hit the gym over-enthusiastically and exercised for over an hour quite vigorously. That same evening, he began to suffer from extreme muscle fatigue, body stiffness, and pain, along with vomiting,” TNIE quoted from a hospital statement to PTI.

He was brought to the hospital in a “bad shape” after suffering at home for three days, it said.

Dilip Bhalla, Senior Consultant, Department of Renal & Kidney Transplant, at the hospital, said, “When the patient came to our hospital, he was suffering from acute pain in the abdomen, black-colored urine with reduced urine output, and deranged kidney and liver function. He was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a health condition in which acute muscle breakdown occurs. This, in turn, releases certain types of enzymes in the bloodstream, leading to kidney malfunction,” the report added.

The patient was immediately taken to the ICU and put on IV fluids to maintain hydration and provide nutrients to his muscles. Gentle physiotherapy was conducted for several days to soothe his muscles, the doctor said.

“In addition, he needed two sessions of dialysis as his kidneys had stopped functioning totally. Slowly, as days passed, the patient started improving. His muscle stiffness and pain began to subside gradually, even as he slowly regained muscle power,” Bhalla told PTI.

The enzyme myoglobin released due to muscle injury leads to kidney dysfunction. If not detected in time, it can lead to eventual kidney shutdown and life-threatening complications, he added.

“It was rare for us to see such a young individual suffering from non-functioning kidneys. Luckily, we managed to lead him to full recovery after a week’s stay at the hospital. His kidneys have revived and are fully functional now,” the doctor said.

Abbas Ali Khatai, Attending Consultant, Emergency Medicine, at the hospital, told PTI that aggressive, unaccustomed exercise leads to accumulation of acid in the muscles which leads to the breakdown of muscle protein.

“Lockdown has its own problems, but so does the unlocking phase, as shown by this case. Caution is the key and not overdoing what the body cannot tolerate,” he said.