CK., TOTAL 0000374

The Creatinine Kinase (CK) is used to detect and monitor muscle damage, diagnose conditions associated with muscle damage, is sometimes used to help determine if you have had a heart attack–although for heart attack detection, this test has been largely replaced by troponin. Your doctor may decide to check a CK when you have muscle weakness, muscle aches, and/or dark urine and your doctor suspects muscle damage. When the source of the CK is not certain, your doctor may check a CK isoenzyme which will help determine whether the CK is coming from skeletal muscle or some other source like the heart.