Creatine Kinase (CK)

Yes. A specific subtype of creatine kinase called "CK-MB" is found only in the heart muscle. In patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain, an elevation in the CK-MB level is an important marker indicating heart muscle damage (myocardial infarction) due to a heart attack.

Yes. Lifting very heavy weights, running marathons, or intense workouts that overload the muscles (like fitness, CrossFit, etc.) create micro-tears in the muscles even in healthy individuals, which can temporarily raise the CK level to very high levels.

To prevent the test from falsely appearing high, it is requested to avoid heavy physical activities and strenuous exercises for 1-2 days prior to the blood draw. The blood is drawn from a vein in the arm and analyzed in the laboratory.