Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell reveals rhabdomyolysis caused her to exit Game 5 in WNBA semifinals

Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell revealed the reason behind her exit from the floor in a crucial Game 5 WNBA playoff game against the Las Vegas Aces. It’s scary stuff.

Mitchell suffered what appeared to be a leg injury as she fell to the ground in the third quarter. Her teammates surrounded her as she remained on the floor for several moments. A stretcher was brought out, though Mitchell eventually was able to get up without it as trainers helped her to the locker room.

It turns out she was dealing with rhabdomyolysis, a debilitating condition that affects the muscles. Kelsey Mitchell outlined what she was dealing with in great detail in a Twitter post on Wednesday afternoon.

“To the fever fans and fans of KelzHoop: me letting you know all about my health is just me showing love and respect to those who showed it to me,” Mitchell wrote. “I suffered from something called Rhabdomyolysis last night. my muscles stopped producing and reached it’s maximum capacity.

“I went into a sense of numbness/paralyzing feeling with no movement from my lower extremities for up to 5 to 7 seconds. because my muscles stopped producing positive blood to my bloodstream, my body locked up from a physical standpoint and from there fatigue and cramping settled in. it sucked. i panicked because i began to think the worse when i felt like i couldn’t move my legs. it was an out of body experience for me and i thank God for covering me at a time like that.”

ESPN’s Holly Rowe provided an update moments after the injury. She later revealed that Kelsey Mitchell had been ruled out for the remainder of the game.

“From what I can observe them working in that huddle with all those people gathered around, it’s the leg quad right above her knee,” Rowe said. “She could not put any weight on it as she’s moving back into the locker room. It also looked like maybe she was having some cramping in the right leg as well. So I think both legs are compromised.”

Indiana was eliminated in a thrilling overtime game, bringing Kelsey Mitchell and the Fever’s season to an end. So there’s no immediate need for Mitchell to get back out on the court.

She provided a brief outline of what the coming days will look like for her. A lot of rest and recovery.

“So today on Oct. 1, i am walking and moving at a slow pace, but i will be fine very soon,” Mitchell wrote. “I want to thank the Fever medical team, Vegas medical team, and the staff at the local hospital for keeping me safe. in other words, i played literally til my wheels fell off, lmao

“THANK you for the prayers, love, respect, and support throughout all of this. if you rode with me through this journey, then i love you!”