Papadopoulou, S. Rehabilitation nutrition for injury recovery of athletes: The role of macronutrient intake. Nutrients, 12 8. Thomas, D. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance.

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 3 , — Tipton, K. Dietary strategies to attenuate muscle loss during recovery from injury.

Nutritional Coaching Strategy to Modulate Training Efficiency pp. Unionville, CT: Karger Publishers. Nutritional support for exercise-induced injuries. Sports Medicine, 45 S1 , 93— Nutritional support for injuries requiring reduced activity. Nutrition for surgery and injury recovery.

Be strategic with protein In addition to its role in athletic performance , protein is one of the most important nutrients to support repair and recovery. Injuries and sports participation are a common occurrence and proper nutrition can assist with a speedier return to play.

Poor nutrition lengthens recovery time due to impairing the healing process. Too little or too many of the wrong types of calories can put the brakes on proper healing.

General recommendations for calorie needs for an injured athlete are the following:. For an individualized calorie recommendation, see a registered dietitian specializing in sports nutrition. These foods have the most nutrition per calorie, such as fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, low-fat dairy, whole grains and healthy fats.

Limit sugary drinks including sports drinks and foods with added sugars. But they are not things I personally would overly focus on individually. Having an overall good quality diet will help you get enough of them though. Nutrition can play a role in injury recovery. Nailing your nutrition could shave some time off the recovery process and improve the odds of an effective recovery.

A lot of rehab protocols involve increases in muscle size and strength in certain areas. Imagine trying to do that with a low protein intake and on low calories. Or alternatively, if consuming excess calories, it can make returning to sport at the same level lot harder.

Aidan is a Brisbane based dietitian who prides himself on staying up-to-date with evidence-based approaches to dietetic intervention. He has long been interested in all things nutrition, particularly the effects of different dietary approaches on body composition and sports performance.

Due to this passion, he has built up an extensive knowledge base and experience in multiple areas of nutrition and is able to help clients with a variety of conditions. By having such a thorough understanding of optimal nutrition for different situations he is able to develop detailed meal plans and guidance for clients that can contribute to improving the clients overall quality of life and performance.

He offers services both in-person and online. Calories This section will likely be the largest section in this post, so it will be split into sub-headings. Avoid the Temptation to Cut Calories Dramatically The first temptation a lot of athletes have when they get injured is to cut calories significantly.

Fuel the Rehab Process Another aspect to consider is that you will likely be undertaking a rehab protocol that involves you aiming to get stronger and build muscle in certain areas. Challenges With Managing Calorie Intake There are a few challenges with managing your calorie intake while injured.

This is another reason why people have a temptation to dramatically cut calories. Protein Protein helps with many aspects of injury recovery It can help reduce the amount of muscle lost in the early stages. It can help speed up the increase in muscle and strength which can be beneficial in a rehab process.

It can help with managing appetite if that is an issue, and you are struggling with accidentally overconsuming calories.

Immobilisation vs Non-Immobilisation When an athlete who trains hard takes a break from training, it typically takes ~3 weeks before muscle loss is measurable. One of these steps is high protein intake. This is quite a high intake.

From another perspective though, I view this as a huge opportunity. Practical Challenges with Protein Intake While Injured There are two main challenges that can occur with trying to achieve that target.

What if your appetite has declined due to being less active? If you have a smaller calorie budget due to being less active, it is hard to get towards the upper end of the target without overshooting your calorie needs.

Creatine Creatine helps with building muscle and strength. Best case scenario, it helps. Worst case scenario it does not really do much. Dosage: g fish oil per day, if choosing to take it.

Collagen or Gelatin Supplementation Collagen and gelatin supplementation have emerging research indicating they can help with recovery from musculoskeletal injuries.

Some common criticisms of collagen supplements are: The collagen peptides break down into amino acids. How is this different to consuming more protein in general? A large percentage of the body is made up of collagen.

How do we know it goes to where we want it to go? The evidence is mixed. A Look at the Evidence In terms of the evidence, while the evidence is mixed, all the research fitting the following criteria has shown positive outcomes: 15g or more of collagen protein Timed before rehab sessions Alongside vitamin C There also is not a lot of quality research on the topic.

MRI of Patellar Tendinopathy Case Study Over an month Period. You can see the area behind the patella at the top is damaged in the first image, but not the last. Calcium and Vitamin D Calcium and vitamin D supplementation can be helpful if there is anything bone related. At a minimum, it is important to avoid low calcium and vitamin D.

Beyond just fractures though, vitamin D might help further. Dosage and How to Take: Obviously, you could aim for a food-first approach. Overall Healthy Diet Having an overall healthy diet makes sense during injury recovery. Practical Summary Nutrition can play a role in injury recovery.

Poor nutrition could dramatically slow down recovery though, particularly for longer rehabs. As a quick summary, some key areas to investigate addressing are: Appropriate calorie intake.

This might involve periodising it over the course of the recovery process. Aiming for 1. Consume a good quality overall diet to cover all the little details that matter and can help with recovery a bit.

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It is not a large benefit, but it is worth being aware of. Adding some nuance, those who have low calcium intakes or low blood vitamin D levels would benefit significantly more from this. A study identified that 3 months post ACL surgery, low vitamin D status was linked with lower levels of strength in comparison to those with higher vitamin D.

Vitamin D can also be relevant from an inflammation standpoint. Obviously, you could aim for a food-first approach. This would involve getting ~mg of calcium per day through food and minutes of sunlight per day. Some people might need a bit more sun than that if they have darker skin.

From a supplemental perspective, if taking both, a supplement containing around mg calcium and IU vitamin D is often the gold standard. Since calcium absorption is a bit limited in a single sitting, it is even more beneficial to split the dosage and have at both morning and night.

If just supplementing vitamin D, IU is the most commonly recommended dosage. But if you have low blood levels, you could go a bit higher than that and address it quicker. I sometimes recommend as high as 10,IU per day for short periods of time, for those who are deficient.

We know that other nutrients like magnesium, antioxidants, vitamin K and zinc all play a role in injury recovery. But they are not things I personally would overly focus on individually.

Having an overall good quality diet will help you get enough of them though. Nutrition can play a role in injury recovery. Nailing your nutrition could shave some time off the recovery process and improve the odds of an effective recovery.

A lot of rehab protocols involve increases in muscle size and strength in certain areas. Imagine trying to do that with a low protein intake and on low calories. Or alternatively, if consuming excess calories, it can make returning to sport at the same level lot harder.

Aidan is a Brisbane based dietitian who prides himself on staying up-to-date with evidence-based approaches to dietetic intervention. He has long been interested in all things nutrition, particularly the effects of different dietary approaches on body composition and sports performance.

Due to this passion, he has built up an extensive knowledge base and experience in multiple areas of nutrition and is able to help clients with a variety of conditions.

By having such a thorough understanding of optimal nutrition for different situations he is able to develop detailed meal plans and guidance for clients that can contribute to improving the clients overall quality of life and performance.

He offers services both in-person and online. Calories This section will likely be the largest section in this post, so it will be split into sub-headings.

Avoid the Temptation to Cut Calories Dramatically The first temptation a lot of athletes have when they get injured is to cut calories significantly.

Fuel the Rehab Process Another aspect to consider is that you will likely be undertaking a rehab protocol that involves you aiming to get stronger and build muscle in certain areas. Challenges With Managing Calorie Intake There are a few challenges with managing your calorie intake while injured.

This is another reason why people have a temptation to dramatically cut calories. Protein Protein helps with many aspects of injury recovery It can help reduce the amount of muscle lost in the early stages.

It can help speed up the increase in muscle and strength which can be beneficial in a rehab process. It can help with managing appetite if that is an issue, and you are struggling with accidentally overconsuming calories.

Immobilisation vs Non-Immobilisation When an athlete who trains hard takes a break from training, it typically takes ~3 weeks before muscle loss is measurable. One of these steps is high protein intake. This is quite a high intake.

From another perspective though, I view this as a huge opportunity. Practical Challenges with Protein Intake While Injured There are two main challenges that can occur with trying to achieve that target.

What if your appetite has declined due to being less active? If you have a smaller calorie budget due to being less active, it is hard to get towards the upper end of the target without overshooting your calorie needs. Creatine Creatine helps with building muscle and strength.

Best case scenario, it helps. Worst case scenario it does not really do much. Dosage: g fish oil per day, if choosing to take it. Collagen or Gelatin Supplementation Collagen and gelatin supplementation have emerging research indicating they can help with recovery from musculoskeletal injuries.

Some common criticisms of collagen supplements are: The collagen peptides break down into amino acids. How is this different to consuming more protein in general? A large percentage of the body is made up of collagen. How do we know it goes to where we want it to go? The evidence is mixed.

A Look at the Evidence In terms of the evidence, while the evidence is mixed, all the research fitting the following criteria has shown positive outcomes: 15g or more of collagen protein Timed before rehab sessions Alongside vitamin C There also is not a lot of quality research on the topic.

MRI of Patellar Tendinopathy Case Study Over an month Period. Macronutrients to Monitor During Wound Care Carbohydrates: In the proliferative phase of wound healing, carbohydrates stimulate insulin production, which is helpful in the anabolic processes.

Here are some of her top tips:2 Post-Injury Nutritional Tips Trauma or surgery may require up to 20 percent more calories, and crutching requires two to three times more energy than walking.

If your athlete or patient is dealing with post-op nausea, recommend bland foods like bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, as well as smaller and more frequent meals with nutrient-dense liquids like smoothies.

Constipation can also occur after surgery, in which case you can recommend increasing fluid and fiber intake. If antibiotics are prescribed, include prebiotic and probiotic-rich foods to restore the beneficial bacteria involved in digestive and immune health that antibiotics can remove.

Prebiotic options include jicama, onion, garlic, asparagus, oats, wheat, barley and mushrooms. Probiotic options include yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, miso soup and kimchi. Increase protein intake alongside the amino acid leucine to maintain anabolic function during the immobilization phase.

Leucine rich foods include cheese, meat, fish, nuts and seeds and tempeh. For best results, consume 20 to 35 grams of leucine-rich protein every three hours during the day and before bed. Control inflammation by swapping pro-inflammatory fats like fried and greasy foods, processed meats and vegetable oils with anti-inflammatory fats found in olive oil, avocado, fish, flax, nuts and seeds.

Antioxidant-rich fruits like goji berries, blueberries, tart cherries, elderberries and pineapple can also help control inflammation, and speed up healing.

While the athlete or patient may want to reduce carbohydrate intake to control body weight, whole grains provide many nutrients that fuel and support rehabilitation and healing. A board-certified specialist in sports dietetics CSSD can give individualized nutrition recommendations so the patient feels confident in his or her recovery plan.

Excessive alcohol intake can exacerbate muscle loss during immobilization, impair muscle building and contribute to inflammation.

Make sure the athlete or patient is responsibly monitoring his or her alcohol intake. Consider injury specific nutrition interventions that come with concussions, bone injuries, tendon and ligament injuries and orofacial injuries.

Read the full article for these specific nutritional recommendations. Caffeine can block adenosine receptors, which may reduce DOMS by deactivating the central nervous system. Main sources of caffeine include coffee, tea and chocolate3 Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids containing eicosanoids such as eicosapentaenoic acid EPA and docosahexaenoic acid DHA.

Therefore, it is assumed that intake of omega-3 fatty acid results in anti-inflammatory response to exercise which may reduce DOMS.

Several studies recently demonstrated the effect of taurine on DOMS, although the exact mechanism is not known. Main sources of taurine include animal foods, like meat, fish and dairy. According to the previous studies, a potential mechanism for reducing DOMS by ingestion with polyphenol is its action on membrane stability and reduced lipid peroxidation by inhibiting peroxyl radical activation.

Barb Hoogenboom EdD, PT, SCS, ATC Associate Professor Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan Dr. Articles Exercises Research Education My Account Newsletter Sign-up.

Calcium and vitamin D are nutrients associated with healthy bones, so if you have a bone fracture or a stress fracture, make sure to get plenty of these 2 nutrients to strength your bones.

The best sources of calcium and vitamin D are low-fat dairy foods. Yogurt, a good source of calcium, is not always fortified with vitamin D, so check the nutrition label of your favorite yogurt to make sure you are getting vitamin D. It may sound odd to mention fiber with healing foods, but the pain medications that are commonly prescribed after injury or surgery cause constipation.

Prunes or prune juice along with drinking plenty of water have a natural laxative effect that can alleviate constipation while on pain medications. Other good fiber sources include fresh fruits and vegetables, high-fiber whole grain cereals, and legumes.

Nutrition for the Injured Athlete from Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Skip to main content.

This may be a slow process, but following the nutrition goals for this phase can help you recover and return to sports participation. While all nutrients are important in healing, vitamin C and zinc are superstar nutrients for their roles in healing.

Vitamin C is needed to make a protein called collagen and for repairing tendons and ligaments and healing surgical wounds.

Zinc is a mineral found mostly in animal foods such as meat, fish, poultry, and dairy foods. Zinc is also found in whole grain breads and cereals, legumes dried beans and peas , and nuts.

It is better to get zinc from foods than supplements. High-dose zinc supplements can cause nausea and vomiting.

Calcium and vitamin D are nutrients associated with healthy bones, so if you have a bone fracture or a stress fracture, make sure to get plenty of these 2 nutrients to strength your bones.

The best sources of calcium and vitamin D are low-fat dairy foods. Yogurt, a good source of calcium, is not always fortified with vitamin D, so check the nutrition label of your favorite yogurt to make sure you are getting vitamin D.

It may sound odd to mention fiber with healing foods, but the pain medications that are commonly prescribed after injury or surgery cause constipation.

Prunes or prune juice along with drinking plenty of water have a natural laxative effect that can alleviate constipation while on pain medications. Other good fiber sources include fresh fruits and vegetables, high-fiber whole grain cereals, and legumes. The food we eat gives us the building blocks that we use for all biological processes.

Certain ingredients can affect responses like inflammation, promote tissue regeneration, and reduce muscular atrophy, among other things.

These healing foods can help you make a faster recovery, but you also need to work with a qualified orthopedic specialist to identify the best approach for your specific injury.

All athletes are different, so you need to ensure that the meal plan you choose will address the specific trauma you suffered.

Although you should definitely work with a qualified physician, you can always start by learning about the properties that each ingredient has. Muscle and soft tissue injuries can range from sprains to torn ligaments and ruptured tendons.

These soft, connective tissues are made up of collagen , elastin , and other organic components. Eating the right foods can promote the production of these natural compounds, which in turn can affect regeneration time. Any athlete researching nutrition for injury and recovery will come across protein-rich foods.

Proteins are a type of nutrient that your body uses to build soft tissue, but they also help control inflammation response. Because injured parts are usually immobilized, having a protein-rich diet can help reduce muscle loss and give you the nutrients you need to repair the damage.

Essential fatty acids play a key role in the regulation of inflammation. Keep in mind that swelling is normal because it helps our body identify the area that needs to be repaired.

That said, prolonged inflammation can also slow down your recovery. In these cases, eating foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce excessive swelling. At the same time, avoiding ingredients that have high omega-6 fatty acids may help lower the chances of long-term inflammation even more.

Vitamin C plays a huge role in your recovery as it can help keep your skin, bones, and soft tissues in good condition. It also has antioxidant properties, which can reduce the negative effects that free radicals and other pollutants have on your body.

Finally, vitamin C also shows anti-inflammatory properties, making it an ideal booster for patients recovering from a bad trauma. If the trauma is bad enough , it can result in broken bones.

Depending on the part of the body and the activity you practice, this can translate to weeks or months of downtime. In some scenarios, bone fractures can sideline athletes for a whole season, which puts a lot of focus on the recovery process.

If you are looking for the best nutrition for injury recovery, then milk, cheese, and vegetables that contain a lot of calcium should be close to the top of the list. Iron is an essential mineral that helps your body produce red blood cells and collagen, which in turn aids bone regeneration.

Magnesium promotes healthy nerve and muscle function, blood pressure, and bone production. Finally, potassium regulates muscular contractions and ensures your nerves are working properly.

This vitamin helps store minerals in your bones and increases the amount of calcium your blood can absorb. From deep cuts to bad infections, injuries can come in a variety of forms.