Rare Syndrome Hits Oregon High School Team

[OldSkool97]

Eighteen high school football players from a team in McMinnville, Ore., were hospitalized last week -- three requiring surgery -- when they experienced painful swelling in their upper arms after a training camp.

Authorities said they were suffering from "compartment syndrome," which resulted in tenderness and swelling in their triceps.

The cause remained a mystery Saturday, and local reports said 10 of the players were still in the hospital.

According to the medical website WebMD, the uncommon condition results when "bleeding into certain muscles puts enough pressure on arteries and nerves to cause a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment to prevent permanent damage to muscle, bones, and other tissue."

Symptoms also include bruising and hardening of the muscles, or cramps. Exercise and various medications have been known to spark the disorder.

Only one of the players affected had not taken part in a workout last Sunday in the school wrestling room, which a player said became as hot as 120 degrees.

The session was part of an "immersion camp" led by first-year coach Jeff Kearin.

Senior Jake Montgomery, 17, a McMinnville linebacker and fullback, participated in the Sunday workout and more drills Monday before waking Tuesday to pain.

"I saw my elbows disappearing," he told The Oregonian newspaper of Portland.

McMinnville School District Superintendent Maryalice Russell said at a news conference Friday there was nothing that pointed to performance-enhancing drugs or supplements as the root of the outbreak.

"I don't have any information at this time that would indicate that's the case," she said. "I'm continuing to look at additional information as it may come my way."

[SgtRey]

Could be one of the following:  Stairoids, Steroids, Stiroids, Steghriods, Staroids....gotta be one of these...they got a bad dose.

[Mr. Buddy Garrity]

[quote name="SgtRey" post="829013" timestamp="1282503177"]
Could be one of the following:   Stairoids, Steroids, Stiroids, Steghriods, Staroids....gotta be one of these...they got a bad dose.
[/quote]thats what im thinking.

[w]

Sounds like someone put it in the drinking water!  Maybe the kids didn't know they were getting those 'roids!

[HI_#20_Mom]

My daughter suffered from this and had to have surgery. Hers was described to me as being exercise induced, being she played varsity and select soccer together and her HS coach pushed them to work out hard on their legs! The Doc put it like this. There is a compartment, or “sheaf “over the muscle, when the muscle outgrows the sheaf it causes compartment syndrome. My daughter has 4 lovely scars on both her legs where they went in and opened the compartment to relive the pressure. She lost any chances at scholarships because it took a year to figure out and the last year she played in pain as opposed to having the surgery before the season.
My thought is that for compartment syndrome to occur on that scale someone had something they were passing around, some type of steroid or creatine that puts water into your muscles to pump them up. They were taking too much or it was something real bad that they should not been taking it at all!!!

Kids…… please don’t take something just because your buddies say it works for them. You can destroy your health and your future. Check with your parents your coaches and doctors! Do some research and always take proper dosing! Please, Please, Please!!!!

[kicker]

At first, I heard the tail end of this on Fox News, and thought it was staff infection. Now that im reading more into it, Im thinking there was some "PED" involved also. Every kids body is different, so for all of them to have the same symptoms there has to be a common factor. I went through grueling workouts at WOS and never had anything like this. none of us did. Being so rare, I can see it happening to one kid, but all of them?? Im really thinking they were taking something. Dirty Needles? Bad 'Roids? not sure. Could even be a legal supplement you can get at GNC. Some of those things are so new, and non FDA recognized, that we dont know the side effects.

[NDN79]

Never heard of this syndrome before and I hope all of those student athletes is ok.If they are taking something someone better get control of that situation for all of their sakes.