Khalil Dorsey returned to action in Week 6 after spending a month on the Detroit Lions’ injured reserve. He was there with an “illness” designation, one that the extent of which was unknown.
Dorsey returned two kickoffs in the Lions’ win over Tampa Bay. On Wednesday, he detailed to reporters the severity of his bout with rhabdomyolysis. It’s an affliction that breaks down muscle tissue and can severely impact the kidneys, and it hit Dorsey hard.
“I had to wait to get back healthy, make sure all the labs came back and nothing was wrong,” Dorsey said. “Make sure my kidneys were fine, make sure everything’s fine. I felt dead for about like a week and a half. Everything was sore. I had no energy to do nothing. I was on IV’s, would come here, get like three bags, come back later, get another bag. There was a stick in my arms.”
Rhabdo, as it’s commonly known, can be caused by a muscular injury or overexertion. Here’s what the Cleveland Clinic has to say about it,
Rhabdomyolysis (pronounced “rab-doe-my-ah-luh-suhs”) is a condition that causes your muscles to break down (disintegrate), which leads to muscle death. When this happens, toxic components of your muscle fibers enter your circulation system and kidneys. This can cause kidney damage.
This dangerous muscle condition can result from overexertion, trauma, medications or an underlying health condition. Common signs and symptoms of rhabdomyolysis are weak muscles, muscle stiffness, muscle pain and a change in your pee color.
Thankfully, the Lions CB made it back and recovered quickly enough to get into the lineup after missing just four games.
Dorsey is thrilled to be back as one of the key special teams players for the Lions.
“It’s definitely special any time you get on the field regardless of who we’re playing,” Dorsey explained. “Regardless of what the score is, how our team’s doing, everything like that, it’s always special to be out there, regardless of all those circumstances.”