Extreme exercise can be deadly

ESSA warns Australians to avoid unnecessary risks

January 23, 2014

Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) is calling on Australians to do more research on the background of their personal trainers following this week’s Gold Coast Bulletin story of a healthy, young woman ending up in hospital with a potentially fatal condition after a personal training session.

Shanteece Smith, 25, has told how she returned to the gym for an intense training session with a personal trainer last Monday night which left her unable to move by Thursday. She was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a potentially fatal condition also known as ‘muscle meltdown’ that causes a breakdown of damaged muscle cells to release muscle fibre into the bloodstream.

Anita Hobson-Powell, ESSA’s Executive Officer, says the condition is generally seen in individuals that over-exert themselves in training sessions, and with people constantly being told that the ‘no pain, no gain’ approach to exercise is the definitive one, rhabdomyolysis is likely to become a household name.

“Ms Smith is a perfect example of a young woman who exercises regularly being pushed to medically dangerous intensity by a personal trainer who was clearly working outside their scope of practice,” Ms Hobson-Powell said.

“If the necessary assessments aren’t done to identify the risks prior to tackling high intensity exercise, the results can be fatal. Yet we turn on our television sets and see reality show contestants working out until they vomit which just reinforces the myth that if you aren’t in intense pain during exercise, it’s not worth doing.”

“At ESSA we are increasingly concerned about the number of personal trainers who lack the appropriate qualifications to take responsibility for a client’s wellbeing. People trust that if a trainer is running a session in the local park they are qualified to assess the risks, but unfortunately that’s not always the case and we encourage them to get some background on the trainer before they sign up.”

“Everyone should be assessed by an accredited exercise physiologist prior to high intensity training to identify risks such as underlying medical conditions and to evaluate the level of intensity appropriate to their physical condition,” Ms Hobson-Powell said.

ESSA is the professional body for exercise physiologists and scientists in Australia and has over 3,700 members. Accreditation provides recognition of qualifications, minimum entry standards, assurance of practice standards, a code of conduct and ethics and an avenue for complaints, which ensures there is a consistency of approach across its members.

For Shanteece Smith rhabdomyolysis resulted in a week in hospital before the swelling in her legs subsided and her test results returned to normal. Some aren’t that lucky as the condition can result in permanent kidney damage or in the worst cases, death.

Ms Hobson-Powell believes that as the trend of extreme exercise escalates so will the health risks for the average Australian looking to get fit or lose weight.

“We’re fighting a war on conditions like obesity and diabetes and yet if we don’t provide people with the tools to tackle exercise safely, we’re letting society down,” Ms Hobson-Powell said.

“By encouraging people to go as hard as they can for as long as possible, we’re setting them up to fail and putting them at serious risk.”

To find the nearest accredited exercise physiologist visit www.essa.org.au.

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ABOUT ESSA

Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) is the peak professional body for exercise and sports science in Australia and provides national leadership and advocacy on key issues. It supports its over 3,500 members and the community through fostering excellence in professional practice, education, training and research.

Website: www.essa.org.au

Official media spokesperson for this release:

Dr Ian Gillam
Accredited Exercise Physiologist, ESSA
Mob: 0413 050 839
Email: Ian.Gillam@essa.org.au

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