Creatine kinase
Creatine kinase, also known as phosphocreatine kinase or creatine phosphokinase, is an enzyme or type of protein that is found in several tissue types of the human body, including the muscle and the brain. The function of this enzyme is to catalyze the conversion of creatine to phosphocreatine by applying itself in the consumption of adenosine triphosphate, the generation of adenosine diphosphate, and the reverse reaction. Adenosine triphosphate is a vital source of energy in biochemical reactions; in the skeletal muscle, the brain, and the smooth muscle – or all tissues that swiftly use up adenosine triphosphate – phosphocreatine acts as an energy reservoir for the quick regeneration of adenosine triphosphate. This is a very important function, and even though it doesn’t sound like much, creatine kinase definitely has its work cut out.
Going back to basics, there are three types of creatine kinase or isoenzymes in the body: CK-BB is mainly produced by the brain and the smooth muscle; CK-MB is primarily produced by the heart muscle; and most of CK-MM is produced by the skeletal muscle.
In normal conditions, there is very little creatine kinase circulating in the blood of the average, healthy human being. Taking the creatine test is a good idea to find out where exactly it is that one stands when it comes to the prevalent level of creatine kinase in one’s body. The test specifically measures the blood levels of certain muscle and brain enzyme proteins; the normal results for females range between 10 - 79 units per liter (U/L) and 17 - 148 U/L in males. A lower than normally low level of creatine kinase shows that you have been drinking excessively; alcohol liver disease and rheumatoid arthritis are two of the most common possibilities that exist with respect to lowered levels of creatine kinase.
On the other hand, if the test reveals that the level of creatine kinase circulating in the blood is higher than it should be in normal conditions, then chances are that the human body in question has suffered damage either to the muscle or the brain. In fact, astronomical levels of creatine kinase are indicative of injuries, rhabdodomyolysis, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, myositis, malignant hypethermia, McLeod syndrome, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and hypothyroidism. If most of this sounds like gibberish to you, just remember that a heart attack, a muscle disease or a stroke may result in abnormally raised creatine kinase levels in the blood. Statin medications used to decrease serum cholesterol levels may also be the culprit.
Experts suggest that anyone who is not sure whether or not they have had a heart attack (which is hard to imagine!) or whether muscles in their bodies have been damaged as a result of any sort of activity, should make it a point to go for a creatine kinase test. This group also includes those with chest pain, muscle pain, and any sort of muscle weakness. Emergency patients (or patients with acute renal failure) are routinely taken through this test, which actually only requires one’s blood sample drawn from a vein in the arm (not scary at all!).
20070119 10:11 am
Does creatine supplementation (i.e for body building) have any effect on the creatine kinase levels in the body? If so, does it raise or lower it? Thnks.
20070120 10:14 pm
I just had a CPK test done (for chronic muscle tension) that came back with a high CPK level (600+). I go back to see the physician ths week. I am wondering about the same thing. I have struggled to build and maintain muscle mass thoughout my life. Creatine (and Glutamine) helped me to gain and maintain muscle like never before (about 4 years ago). Eventually I stopped. Perhaps I need to take these supplements now to maintain? Does increased CPK signify increased catabolism?
20070122 1:25 pm
I CK Creatine Kinase is 648 and I am worried, I have scheduled an appt with the doctor , but I do not understand the term,
20070413 1:16 am
i was told i have a ck level of 475 im 58 years old i have had severe calf & hamstring cramps at night also i have plantar fasiitis in my left foot i resently got to steriod shots in my foot to help that condition. i do work out with weights 3 times a week& have a very low body fat . what caused the ck level to go up i also was on zocor the last 5 years to lower my chloesterol. john
20070428 10:22 pm
I am 40, been stomach sick for about three weeks, “virus” we could say, before that usually worked out every other day, good physical condition, not excessive. Well not working out for three weeks, and engaging in two vball games after that, which left me extremely sore (legs, back, etc, all muscles were in distress) I could barely bend over the next day, mind u this was a Saturday, the following Monday while still in pain I got a full blood test and the results for Creatine Phisophisake was 249 way over the limit. I can only imagine it comes from the extreme sorness of my muscles. Everything else on the test was fine, including thyroid (at the limit) and all. Any ideas, just to be on the safe side. Mo
20070503 6:57 pm
Does supplementation have any effect on the creatine kinase levels in the body?
20070508 12:30 am
I just had CPK test myself and i came out with a extremely high levels of CP. doc said i had something like 18750 , i know i been working out but what are the concenquences of having such a high cpk level … i got retested just to make sure it wasnt a lab error and still had something over 6000+. ??????? what can happened im really confused .
20070513 1:43 pm
Do you have muscle weakness at all?
I have levels up to 2000 but that’s because i have FSH Muscular Dystrophy..Drop me a mail if you want to chat about this…
20070514 12:50 am
I am a 33 years old. I am not taking any supplements and I don’t work out regularly but my CPK is very high. I feel deep burning inside my hands, arms, knees and my back.
05/07/07: Morning, it was 4000
05/07/07: Evening, it was 2500
05/08/07: Morning, it was 1695
05/08/07: Evening, it was around 1000
05/09/07: Morning, it was 500
05/09/07: Afternoon, it was around 900 (Doctor made run for 10 minutes).
Doctor hasn’t prescribed any medications to me yet. Do you have any idea please?
20070622 1:10 am
I have traumatic brain injury, drink a lot of water, take bp meds that were recently changed and had anemia. my creatine level showed .1 and with all the muscle pain and head pain and trauma i have why isnt it high. I do not drink any alcohol ever. I do drink an excessive amount of water due to spinal stenosis and then take acetozmide to get rid of the water. why would my creatine not be high with brain damage and phsyical injury and pain. could it be my new blood pressure meds. all my cells have been different shapes. i am tired and fatigued from pain and anemia. i have contstant headaches and eat fish evey day.
20070723 2:48 pm
I have taken a CK test and this showed a CK level of 700+ I have been wondering what could have caused this to rise….I don’t drink, I don’t really do any exercise apart from the 10 minute morning walk to the station.
I have had a stomach ulcer in the past that has caused me Back pain on and off….and recently I started twitching in my right leg that seems to have now spread all over my body.
please help
20070813 11:00 pm
I recently had routine blood work done. My CK level was 338 everything else was normal. During the last month I have had a lot of migraine headaches, at least one a day. I had my thryoid checked a year ago, it is enlarged but the levels are normal. What could cause the Ck level to be elevated? Should I be concerned?
20070815 2:24 am
Hey guys, I’m scared,
I just got blood work done, annual type of thing, never touched gear,
test was normal at 495
creatine kinase, average range around 50-190
mine = 1396.
I’m seeing a lot of things online like kidney failure, brain tumor, muscular disease, scary scary things, so i am not feeling good about 1396.
Oh and I have about 1g protein per pound of body, (5 10, 185 pounds) so its not overdoing it. And i dont beat myself up at the gym, but i got 5 times a week for an hour or two, and i drink at least a gal of water a day,
Any feedback would be EXTREMELY greatful,
thanks guys.
20070816 8:34 am
I’m 27 years and I just discovered that my creatine kinase is at 1428 way above reference 38-174
And I just joined a gym should I stop what should I do. The ckmb quantitative is at 30 normal rage 7-25 I’m worried.
20070821 2:51 am
I just had a ck test done and my level was 529. Lately i have been experiencing neck pain and headaches just about on a daily basis. However, a week ago I experinced leg pain bilaterally from my hip down to my knees so bad that I had to be carried. I know this is not normal, so any feedback or suggestion would really be appreciated.
20070916 2:04 pm
My daughter is in the hosp. right now with her ck levels being 25,000 the doctors say this is the highest numbers they have seen. We don’t have a clue what is going on, any suggestion would be helpful.
20070921 11:21 pm
Patty, my husband was admitted to the hospital back in 2004 for the same thing. His ck levels were a bit higher than your daughters (if you can imagine that), and the doctors said the same thing–that they have never seen such high numbers in their life. They kept IV’s in his arms at all times. Basically they found out he has a condition called Rhabdomylosis. Right now his ck levels are soaring again. His regular MD keeps telling him to go to the ER. But he was already in there a few weeks ago and they couldn’t find anything wrong. Basically it was worthless. Right now I am trying to find a doctor who specializes in Rhabdomylosis. You might want to look into too and see if your daughter might have the same thing. My heart goes out to you. I will keep you all in my prayers.
20070924 1:27 pm
Hi, Im 24 year old Indian male. My blood report states that my CK measures 600 U/L. I was asked to check on my CK-MB level. I Drink around 200ml of Alcohol on weekends and smoke around 40 cigarettes a day. I dont take any body building suppliments. Is there any way to reduce the CK in my body? Thank you.
20071012 9:34 pm
I don’t know if he’ll see it but a guy named John Boyce, posted a while ago and said something about Plantar fascitis ( I don’t know how to spell it). Anyway look up A.R.T. (Active Release Technique), this is not a sales pitch I am not a practitioner, I’m a triathlete and ART can do wonders for eliminating, plantar fascitis or more commonly known as heel spurs. Hope it helps.
http://www.cleansingyourbodyoftoxins.com
20071015 12:56 pm
My little boy is 14 months old and CK just came back at 2,900. Doc says muscular dystrophy. Is there any other explanation? I am terrified.
20071018 1:10 pm
Although many of the notes on this site are very serious, as I read some of these comments, I almost feel better knowing that I have been to the doctor over the last two years with many of the same symptoms that all of you have. CPK tests ranging from 260 while on prednisone (however you spell it) to as high as 900! I have muscle pain associated with spasms and twitching, with stomach growling and night/day sweats just tossed in for good measure! If I sit too long I have pain and discomfort, and never mind when I stand up! Leg, Foot, hip, thigh and lower back pain like you wouldn’t believe! The funny thing is that, it seems to be mostly located on the left side with mild pain in comparison over the rest of my body. Than once I am up for a while it feels better. Unfortunately, after I am up for a while the pains begin again. Just can’t win!
Thus far every test has come back perfect! The neurologist is the next stop! My MD has sent me to a Rheumatologist. He performed a bone density test as well as a Leg nerve test. All came back negative! One would think if I had anything very serious, one of these tests (which are directly associated with most if not all Nerve and muscular diseses) would have revealed something. Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this pain?
Thanks and I look forward to a response
20071023 10:09 pm
I sent 4 months in intensive care at my local teaching hospital as they raised my statin to 80 mg from 20mg my CK went to 55,000(fiftyfive thousand) 1 suffered 2 cardiac arrest and a respriritory arrest trachiostomy complete renal failure for four weeks the surgeon is justified he said while I am left in a wheel chair for how long no one can tell me my CK wont go under a 1000 how can I get it down I have a physio (private )who believes I will walk again, I have been out of hospital 3 1/2 months
Regards
20071025 1:32 am
I just got back my lab work. My CK was 3224. What can I do to lower it?
20071111 5:24 am
My husband’s CK level was 66,700 two weeks ago. He’s in the hospital right now. It’s gone down (very slowly) to 9,800 but he had intense weakness as well as bloody diarrhea. It’s been a nightmare.
20071113 3:20 am
I just had a blood test for my yearly physical. Everythkng checked out fine except for CK. It was 600 and my doctor said that it should be under 400. He said that high CK could lead to kidney problems and wants me to take another blood test in 6 weeks. I have been doing a lot of out doors things like throwing a cast net to catch shrimp the last couple of weeks and I have sore leg and arm muscles. Could this be the problem and if so how can I get it down under 400?
20071115 3:35 am
Recently I had a CK of 1740. i am on statin medication for cholestrol level reduction.
What are the side effecfts and how many days it takes to bring it down
20071119 11:29 am
hi, i recently have had a blood sample take to check for CK it has come out at 6712 what i belive is above the norm, i would definatly say i have a muscle problem from the age of about 5 years, im now a 25 year old .Too look at me you would say im fit and healfy 5 10″ about 10.5 stone, male.
i have always had a problem running and walking, my muscles seem to lock up and stop working (i couldnt run 100m) its not because im unfit or out of breath just that my muscles dont work.The check came about after haveing problems for the last 5 years of uranating blood and pulling muscles, i went to see a kidney specilist he said i had iga nephropathy but i was adament that when i pull a muscle i urinate blood, he didnt seem to think it could be related.
question,, does any one on hear have any thing simular or any ideas to a problem i have??
excuse the spelling….(thats another problem!!! lol)
lee
20071219 5:33 am
hi have just had test on creatine serum kinase level (cardiac) it is 53iu/L the range seems to be much higher in females
20080226 2:10 pm
If you have elevated CK AND you are taking statins STOP TAKING THE STATINS. Read the Great Cholesterol Con.
If you are not on statins then high CK does point to some form of muscle damage. Sorry but I have no idea how to lower it (other than if it is statins then stopping those will reduce CK).
I was on 10mg statins and MD decided to double it. Within a very short tome I got severe muscle/joint pain. I got the usual “what do expect as you get older” roting initially. Then I got wind of CK and insisted on a test. Doctor called when the tests were back to see her urgently (in UK you NEVER get appointments made for you unless serious). My CK hahit 1000. Stopped statinds and in a week level was down to 300 level andpains were very much reduced.
If you have any pains on statins thenit will be the CK effect.
20080304 3:15 am
Hi I’m Azra and i was wondering if anyone can tell me what LOW levels of CPK would indicate?
Thanks
20080308 11:12 am
One should actually consider running this test before starting with creatine so one can measure the change (if any) and if necessary adopt a new creatine intake strategy.
20080408 2:57 pm
I have a high level CK.Doctors are not sure why.All they said is have i had any protein supplements or do i do plenty of exercise.I’m going to get my thyroids checked in 3 weeks time.
20080423 3:08 pm
Back pain can be really hard on sleep. It can hurt lying on your back and your stomach. The pain makes it hard to get to sleep, and once you do, it makes it hard to stay asleep. It doesn’t take long to get exhausted. Some people think you should stay in bed when you have back pain, but that’s not true. You need to get enough rest, but you don’t want to stay in bed past 3 days.
The problem with lying in bed too long is that it can actually make your back hurt worse. The human body is meant to move and it needs to in order to stay flexible. People in the hospital who can’t walk or lie in bed for weeks lose muscle power rapidly. In fact, it doesn’t take long before muscles get useless from lack of motion. So when you have back pain, you have to keep doing your normal activities even though it hurts. Staying in bed will only make your muscles weaker which can make the pain stronger.
Visit The Back Pain Site for low back pain information and tips
20080424 11:04 am
My son Adam 2years old, his CPK 20930 , CK17400 and LDH 1214 U/L and some doctors says may be he has muscular dystrophy and some doctors’ says may be there are Virus that we don’t know …….. Any way my son still walking normal .My question is: what can I do …………… My wonderful son Adam ………….. Will not walk ……. Or…..
20080428 5:06 am
I am 54 years old. I am taking regular simvastatin described by my doctor, cpk was 351 and the cholesterol levels have come down significantly. it reads total cholestorol 147, tryglycerides 77, hdl 46, ldl 87, vldl 15, ratio3.2, alt 25, creatine kinase 351. What I am have to do to get my ck reduced.
20080504 4:43 am
Hi, I’m a 29-yr-old woman taking risperidal (Risperidone) for a mental health problem, and currently lowered the dose via advice of a healthcare advisor. Through taking blood tests have found to have CK level of 278 iu/l (normal range: 9-168 iu/l). Four weeks later they went back to normal. What could have caused the raising of CK please? (we have a history of heart probs in the family).
20080510 11:04 pm
After getting blood work done everything was normal except my creatine kinase levels were 1200 units per liter compared to 50-100 average.My doctor called concerned and imidiatly demanded i come to the office were I explained to him i feel ok have never had a heart attack in my 30 years.Later on i explained to him i take creatine monohydrate thats probably why my c. kinase levels vwere so high.To my relief I thought i was gonna die the way he spoke to me on the phone!lol