Woman Nearly Loses Her Leg From Rare Medical Condition After Taking Intense Spin Class

A spin class had an unexpected end for a 24-year-old when she hopped off the bike at the end of class and realized she could barely walk. She had a rare, exercise-induced condition but she had no idea yet.

Kaelyn Franco, a lifelong athlete, collapsed on the floor after participating in an intense indoor cycling class.

“I just collapsed. My legs couldn't support my weight,” Franco told Inside Edition.

Franco made it home after the class to her Marlborough, Massachusetts, apartment but she said she was in extreme pain. She couldn’t bend her legs and said she was walking around like a “robot.”

She eventually made the decision to head to the hospital and was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis from exercising too hard, and she suffered a complication called compartment syndrome, a painful condition caused by pressure buildup from internal bleeding or swelling of tissues. She had to undergo emergency surgery.

Doctors were able to save her leg, but it could’ve been a lot worse.

It’s been four months since the incident, and Franco is still recovering. She knows she could have died had she not gone to the hospital, she said.

She has been undergoing physical therapy and went from a wheelchair, to crutches, to the cane she is using now. She also has a long scar from the surgery.

Franco hopes that by telling her story, others might recognize when the pain they might be feeling after a workout is more than just usual soreness.

“I had no idea I could've lost my leg from simply taking a spin class,” Franco said.

A GoFundMe page created to to help Franco with her recovery has raised more than $10,800 to date. 

"She is going to need to take her time to get through this recovery process, and any help would contribute to her medical bills, medical accommodations, time taken off from work, and as a way to get her back on her feet during this tough time of being hospitalized and recovering," the page reads. "Any help to Kaelyn is appreciated and means a lot."

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