Your nutrition is vital in recovery after a workout and especially an injury. As an athlete it is not uncommon to occasionally wind up with a injury. For almost any type of sport injury, the RICE method is the common method of treatment. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Another vital factor in the repair of soft tissue injuries is our nutritional intake, but sadly it is seldom communicated by our health care providers. It is helpful to understand the three phases of injury repair when trying to understand the additional nutritional needs associated with it.

Stage 1 – Inflammation Phase

The inflammation phase usually lasts for 0-4 days post injury. Inflammation is your bodies way of sending in the troops to start repairing the damage that was done when the injury occurred. An injury can result in muscle, bone, and vascular damage, which in turn can deprive injured tissues of their normal flow of oxygen and nutrient rich blood. The reduction in blood flow and the injury itself can result in cell death. In order to remove those dead cells and start to lay down new cells the body initiates the inflammatory process. Inflammatory and immune chemicals clean up debris, plus attract plasma and blood protein to the area. Pain, swelling, redness and heat are signs of inflammation and can be irritating as well as painful. This process however, is necessary for repair and without inflammation, injuries would not heal.

Stage 2 – Proliferative Phase

With most or all of the dead tissue removed from the sight of the injury, new vasculature will have developed. This allows oxygen and nutrient rich blood can flow to the injury site. This allows for proliferation and multiplication of cells known as fibroblasts, which provide the structure of connective tissue. Once the structure is in place, glycoproteins such as collagen and fibronectin are laid down forming what is commonly called scar tissue. This process can take from 4 to 21 days.

Stage 3 – Remodeling Phase of Injury

Over the next 21 days to 2 years some important changes will occur to the scar tissue. The Type II collagen that is laid down originally will be degraded and replaced with Type I collagen which is much stronger. This new tissue may never be 100% normal, but it can become up to 80% as strong as uninjured tissue. It is important to use your muscles in normal motions during this time to encourage the new tissue to maintain its length and organize itself in alignment with the adjacent soft tissue fibers.

What does all of this have to do with Chicken and Broccoli?

All of this injury repair is hard work and requires lots of additional energy from our food. During this time our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) can actually increase by 15 to 50% depending on the severity of the injury. BMR is the number of calories that it takes to keep you alive, assuming you are at rest 24 hours a day. This increased metabolic rate comes from the work the body must do to repair itself. Under eating during recovery can lead to losses of lean mass, poor healing and slow progress.

A few of the things to keep in mind.

Protein requirement during healing can increase to as much as 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
A diet high in Omega 3 fatty acids supports healing and has a anti-inflammatory effect. Conversely, a diet high in trans-fats, omega-6 rich vegetable oils and saturated fat will increase inflammation and reduce collagen production.

Include non-processed carbohydrates in your diet in sufficient amounts and variety. This ensures vital micronutrients , vitamins and minerals are available. Eating processed carbohydrates including sugar can trigger further inflammatory processes in the body and slow or prevent healing.

Got Questions?

If you have any questions regarding injury repair or nutrition don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Christianson by calling our office at 970-712-6059 or at your next appointment.