Top 10 Ways to Avoid Giving a Client Rhabdo

[Frank DiMeo]

Very helpful, thanks!!!

[John Frazer]

A study of prison inmates, found 36 cases of rhabdo in inmates that had done high rep low weight thrusters.

I'd be very interested in this study, too.

[Ahmik Jones]

Here is a link to the study: http://www.charlydmiller.com/LIB04/1...iserhabdo.html (WFS)

Here is a quote: "Thirty-one of the patients did squat-thrusts with or without weights, two patients did chin-ups, one patient lifted heavy weights, and one ran a long distance. These repetitive exercises were done not as part of a usual exercise routine but as a consequence of losing a game of dominoes. The number of squat-thrusts varied between 75 and 900, with weights from 40 to 170 lb."

[Kenneth R Davis]

Ahmik:

I am not aware of the law suit. Can you fill in the details or perhaps provide a link where I can read about it?

It is disappointing to me there is not a standard morbidity report that CrossFit "Central" collects to establish a database to learn how to prevent this, what the risks factors are, earliest signs of onset, what's the best first aid, etc. There are papers in the medical literature on this and one can distill recommendations as you have done in your excellent summary. However, without controlled studies, the best that can be done to research this is collect case reports.

CrossFit "Central" could ask all affliates to report all rhado cases and provide periodic reports to the community on the frequency of rhabdo, any identified risks factors,and track if the incidence is going up, down or staying the same.

Curiously, I first learned of CrossFit after reading a New York Times articles in Dec 2005 entitled, "Dying to be Fit," about a 1st-time client Greg Glassman had that developed rhabdo after doing wall balls. The article quoted Coach Glassman as saying he had never been sued.

[Dale F. Saran]

Originally Posted by Kenneth R Davis

Ahmik:

I am not aware of the law suit. Can you fill in the details or perhaps provide a link where I can read about it?

It is disappointing to me there is not a standard morbidity report that CrossFit "Central" collects to establish a database to learn how to prevent this, what the risks factors are, earliest signs of onset, what's the best first aid, etc. There are papers in the medical literature on this and one can distill recommendations as you have done in your excellent summary. However, without controlled studies, the best that can be done to research this is collect case reports.

CrossFit "Central" could ask all affliates to report all rhado cases and provide periodic reports to the community on the frequency of rhabdo, any identified risks factors,and track if the incidence is going up, down or staying the same.

Curiously, I first learned of CrossFit after reading a New York Times articles in Dec 2005 entitled, "Dying to be Fit," about a 1st-time client Greg Glassman had that developed rhabdo after doing wall balls. The article quoted Coach Glassman as saying he had never been sued.

Kenneth - I replied to your post in the Health section as well and hate cross-posting but who have you contacted at CrossFit "Central" and what do you mean by CrossFit "Central"?

As to being sued, CrossFit was not sued, a former trainer was. CF was not even named in the suit. The only time CF has ever been named in a suit, they were dismissed as a third party defendant and that was fairly recent.

Please feel free to contact me at dale at crossfit dot com.

[Andy Nunns]

Excllent post well worth reading . thanks

[Amal WoottonII]

I suggest that Crossfit develop a two week series of WOD's for newcomers. WOD's that give a preview of some of the tougher lifts and gymnastic lifts, etc. A two week curriculum would give Crossfit more control of which exercises the newcomer did, the intensity level, and which lifts are done at first.

I don't exactly understand the resistance to a newcomer program... They are coming in off the street and made to do insainly hard workouts. I would never sue someone over something like that, but I can see where people are saying, "Hey! You *&^%'ers knew about Rhabdo and still killed me like that on my first day???? I'm sueing you for putting me in the hospital for a week." Or, something to that effect.

I generally support Crossfit because I do it all week now, and I think the basic idea is an elegant solution to the question of what real fitness is. But, if you know Rhabo is a problem, you don't just sit back and say - Oh, these people are crazy about sueing other people..etc. This is a recurring problem, probably worse among former atheletes who push themselves way further due to an imagination that has not evolved to their new "condition."
Where is a downside to a two week initiation period? Two weeks of WODs would still be random to the person in off the street. There may even be a higher retention rate since people won't be so tortured with DOMS that they say - forget this, it's too intense - before they are ready for the intensity.

[Katherine Derbyshire]

Originally Posted by Amal WoottonII

I suggest that Crossfit develop a two week series of WOD's for newcomers. WOD's that give a preview of some of the tougher lifts and gymnastic lifts, etc. A two week curriculum would give Crossfit more control of which exercises the newcomer did, the intensity level, and which lifts are done at first.

All of the affiliates I considered have this, including the one I joined.

Katherine

[Amal WoottonII]

In that case, just ignore the above rant...I just never hear about that when a lawsuit is described. It always seems like they are just doing a standard Crossfit workout when it happens.

Thanks,

AW

[Katherine Derbyshire]

Originally Posted by Amal WoottonII

In that case, just ignore the above rant...I just never hear about that when a lawsuit is described. It always seems like they are just doing a standard Crossfit workout when it happens.

I agree with the basic point of your rant, by the way. Dumping newcomers into full-out Crossfit workouts is irresponsible. It's just that the evidence seems (to me) to point to individual gyms/trainers, not Crossfit HQ, as the blameworthy parties. (I hesitate to call them affiliates, even. At least a few cases have involved Crossfit-style workouts with trainers who were *not* CF-certified.)

Katherine