Hi There, would very much appreciate your input(s). Backstory - June 2024, injured my pec at the gym. Went to ER to rule out rhabdo. Had some blood in urine not visible and other symptoms like low grade fever, etc. Pec was not torn but definitely injured, continued to lift and continued to experience pain in pec. Have a 2nd MRI this week as first one in December 2024 was unremarkable. Consistently over past year and a half, have had CK levels on the high side of normal almost above normal when prior to June 2024 they were in the 40’s. consistently have blood detected in urine, elevated BUN and some times elevated creatinine. I’m also on TRT of 250mg/week for over 5 years at this point. Since my pec injury I’ve lost the ability to put on size despite a solid diet and consistency at the gym. Could this be mild rhabdo affecting my ability to put build muscle or maintain the pump like I used to? My body composition is completely different despite not changing anything and my clothes are not fitting the way they used to. I am searching for possible answers as the doctors are dismissing most things because my CK is not above 1,000 but they refuse to retest as it can peak 24-72 hours after re-injuring my pec. Thank you, I appreciate your input.
Sorry to hear about this.
CK elevations after exercise are expected/normal, and additional CK elevation after a muscle strain/tear would also be expected, and not indicative of rhabdomyolysis either.
If you truly have blood in your urine (and not just myoglobin), this would be a separate concern entirely, and not caused by muscle injury.
Your concerns about inability to put on size would also not caused by a case of rhabdomyolysis, which is an acute condition, not a chronic/long-term process. Chronic muscle diseases known as myopathies can be caused by a variety of other conditions.
Ultimately, the collection of things you report is not suggestive of exertional rhabdomyolysis. This would need a more detailed consultation and review of labs/imaging to be able to weigh in more confidently, though.