For the third day in a row, a football camp at McMinnville High School sent several prep athletes to the hospital.
Seven players were rushed to the hospital with swollen arms Wednesday--three requiring emergency surgery for Compartment Syndrome.
On Friday, staff from Willamette Valley Hospital visited the football camp, administering blood draws on all the players. Out of about 30 players, 12 were taken to the hospital for further monitoring because of an elevated enzyme.
Ten players were admitted by the hospital and others were monitored.
Hospital staff said the elevated enzyme is a sign of muscle damage and could be toxic to the kidneys.
The seven boys from Wednesday noticed irregular swelling in their arms after camp and were immediately taken to the hospital.
"I spoke to an emergency room doctor here who's been a doctor for 30 years," said father Dennis Nice, "He says he's never seen Compartment Syndrome occur in the upper extremities--he says it sometimes occurs in the calves of marathon runners."
The operating surgeon, Elizabeth Ackerman, confirmed the rarity of the cases.
"It's not something we commonly see in the triceps," said Ackerman. "It's unique and were not sure why it's happened."
Doctors explained Compartment Syndrome happens when the muscle swells within the muscle sheath. The sheath can't expand and chokes the muscle off, stopping blood flow.
Nice said his son needed emergency surgery on both his arms, which two other boys also needed. He went on to describe the procedure, which involves making an incision to allow the muscle to expand and drain.
Superintendent Maryalice Russell said the McMinnville School District is investigating whether the workouts at football camp had anything to do with the boys' problems.
"We're going to process and evaluate everything that took place over the course of the practice," said Russell.
"Very, very bizarre," said Nice of the incident. "Very, very unusual."
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Toshio Suzuki &
Jessica Morkert contributed to this report
