The Importance of Proper Nutrition While Undergoing Physical Therapy

Fueling your body with proper nutrition during a time you are undergoing Physical Therapy for an injury may not be a thought that comes to your mind initially, but according to the American Physical Therapy Association, ‘nutrition is important to healing and the recovery from various types of injuries, illnesses, and other situations. This is due to the fact that when the body is suffering – in one way or another – its nutritional needs increase dramatically.’

Below are some important reasons:

  1. When your body enters into a ‘healing state’ due to an illness or an injury, it requires much higher levels of energy. The reason for this is your body is moving and entering into a higher metabolic state. It requires energy (calories) beyond what it typically requires when you are not injured.

  2. Your immune system experiences an immediate state of weakening due to the stress and/or shock of the injury. If nutritional needs are not met, this could lead to detriment of the immune function.

  3. When an injury occurs, your body immediately decreases using the area injured due to the trauma to protect it, therefore the lack of use and trauma leads to atrophy of the muscles involved. Proper nutrition, such as protein, aids in combating this atrophy process.

  4. If you incur a wound and you do not take in proper nutrition, you will increase your risk of an infection developing.

  5. When an injury occurs, inflammation develops. It is paramount to your recovery to ingest the proper anti-inflammatory nutrients or there may be a dramatic delay in your healing process.

  6. Any type of physiological-based stress could lead to the development of fatigue. Proper nutrition will combat this level of fatigue.

Medical professionals have studied nutritional deficiencies at length and have determined that the following nutrients are the most commonly found deficient in injured patients in the United States:

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Magnesium

Calcium

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

All body tissues need nutrients because they are composed of nutrients. Nutrients are the basis of creation when it comes to neurotransmitters. They play an active role in the regenerative processes of the body and help in the process of physically adapting to physical activity.

Of course, everyone’s nutritional needs are different and will be evaluated based on various factors such as your age, level of physical activity, the types of medications that you use, as well as the injuries and/or illnesses for which you’re being treated.

Here are some important nutrients to ingest and the reasons:

  1. Proteins aid in the growth and strengthening of your bones, the muscles in your body, and the connective tissues throughout your body.

  2. Calcium helps build bones, allows our blood to properly clot, helps in muscle contractions, and enables our heart to beat.

  3. Magnesium is a requirement for more than 300 different biochemical reactions that occur within the body. It helps in the function of nerves and muscles, the strengthening of the immune system, and helps ensure the strength of both the heart and the bones.

  4. Zinc helps the metabolism in the body and ensures the functionality of the immune system. It is also a necessary mineral for the healing of wounds..

  5. Copper is critical to maintaining health in the blood vessels, the bones, the nerves, and the immune system. Additionally, it helps the body in the process of iron absorption.

  6. Silica helps in strengthening all of the connective tissues that are part of the nervous system and it plays a role in stabilizing the release of insulin from the pancreas.

Vitamins help in ensuring that the cells develop, grow, and function appropriately. Naturally, cells are an essential component of all of the aspects of your body. As mentioned earlier, it is essential to ingest proper nutrition during your healing process because nutrients are lost within the body during this time due to stress, injury or illness.

In summary, if you combine proper nutrition with your Physical Therapy routine, you will see more immediate benefits of physical therapy. You will discover that you have significantly less inflammation and pain throughout your body. Your treatment outcomes will improve significantly and your immune system will be much stronger.

This article was written by Generator’s co-founder Dr. Jessica Tranchina and was first published here by Austin Fit Magazine in their November 2022 issue.

Delfin Ward