Importance of CK in Training Diagnosis and Control

CK monitoring in athletes is essential to:

✅ Evaluate training load: a significant increase may indicate the need to reduce intensity or increase rest.
✅ Prevent injury: Detecting elevated CK values allows you to adjust training and avoid overtraining.
✅ Optimize recovery: Facilitates strategies to improve muscle regeneration, such as proper nutrition, rest and regenerative therapies.
✅ Personalize training programs: By knowing an athlete’s individual response to exertion, more efficient routines can be designed.

Muscle Damage and Relationship to CK

Physical exercise, especially that of high intensity, long duration, or with eccentric contractions, can cause muscle micro-injuries. These injuries are a normal physiological response to training, necessary for muscle adaptation and growth. However, when the damage is excessive or recovery is insufficient, it can lead to accumulated fatigue, overtraining, or even more severe conditions such as rhabdomyolysis.

When muscle fibers are damaged, CK-MM is released into the bloodstream, so an increase in its levels is a reliable indicator of the degree of muscle damage and the need for recovery. Elevated values may reflect:

Normal muscle damage: After an intense session, a moderate increase is expected and resolves in a few days.
Accumulated fatigue or overtraining: If levels remain elevated chronically, it may indicate poor recovery.
Rhabdomyolysis: In extreme cases (>5,000-10,000 U/L), severe muscle damage may compromise kidney function and require urgent medical attention.