CPK Total (CK-NAC) Test in Kathmandu

About this test

Creatine phosphokinase is an enzyme that lives inside muscle cells and helps them store and release energy, so when muscle fibres are damaged the enzyme leaks into the bloodstream and the level rises. The CK-NAC method measures the total amount circulating, drawing on the three main sources: skeletal muscle, heart muscle, and a small fraction from the brain. Doctors most often order it to investigate muscle-related complaints — aching, weakness, cramps, dark cola-coloured urine, or swelling — and to look for muscle breakdown after a crush injury, a seizure, a long fall, prolonged immobility, or heatstroke, all of which can cause rhabdomyolysis that threatens the kidneys. It is a key safety check for anyone on statin or fibrate cholesterol tablets who develops unexplained muscle pain, and it helps in diagnosing and monitoring inherited and inflammatory muscle diseases such as the muscular dystrophies and polymyositis. A markedly raised CK can also point to an underactive thyroid, which is common in Nepal and easy to miss. Because vigorous exercise, deep intramuscular injections, and even a hard physical-labour day can lift the number temporarily, the result is always read in context rather than in isolation. When a heart attack is the concern, it is interpreted alongside the more heart-specific troponin and CK-MB, and when kidney injury is feared it is paired with creatinine and a urine test. A normal value is reassuring, while a persistently high one prompts your doctor to find and treat the underlying muscle, cardiac, or hormonal cause.

Sample type

Blood (serum)

Preparation

No fasting required. Avoid strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, or intramuscular injections for 24–48 hours before the sample, as muscle exertion can raise the result. Mention any recent falls, injections, or new medicines you have started.

Turnaround time

Reports for CPK Total (CK-NAC) are typically ready within: Same Day. Reports can be collected at the clinic during opening hours or shared via WhatsApp once they are ready.

Also known as

Other biochemistry tests we run

These are routinely ordered alongside CPK Total (CK-NAC) or as part of the same diagnostic workup.

How to book

WhatsApp is the fastest way — message us with the test name and your preferred time, and we'll confirm a slot the same day. You can also walk into the clinic at Rumba Chowk, Sanobharang any day between 7AM and 8PM, or fill in our online booking form.