Tag Archive for: fracture

What Your Body Needs for Bone Repair

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Note: As this email hits your inbox at 6:15 a.m., Paula and I are already at the surgery center where she’s getting her right knee replaced. She had the left one done six months ago, so the recovery routine is familiar. We know we need to concentrate on bone repair, and since it’s slip-and-fall season here in the North, I thought this would be a good time to remind everyone of the nutritional requirements for bones. That’s why we’re rerunning this Memo from last February.

When it comes to broken bones, especially in adults, what can be done to help the healing process? Pain management is always paramount because of the second reason: joint rehabilitation. If any movement is too painful, no one wants to rehab the muscles and tendons surrounding the joint, especially with a dislocation that stretches them beyond their normal capacity. Putting the bone in place is one thing, but getting the tendons and muscles to repair is another. There’s no being brave or gutting it out; rehab is necessary to restore complete joint function.

That raises the question: are there any supplements that can help with the healing process? The research is virtually non-existent, as outlined in a recent article, but there are some nutrients that make sense:

  • Vitamin C: an additional 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day. Vitamin C is involved in building connective tissues; bone, tendon, and ligaments are all connective tissue.
  • Vitamin D: an additional 50 to 100 mcg per day. Vitamin D is known for helping build bone, so it makes sense to increase the amount.
  • Glucosamine: 1,200 to 2,400 mg per day in total. Glucosamine, like vitamin C, is used in making all connective tissue. This appears to be important within the first two weeks after the injury, based on animal studies.
  • Calcium: 500 to 1,000 mg/day in total. The formation of the callus and conversion to bone requires calcium. Taking an extra amount, providing stone formation is not an issue, is important.

The final part of bone repair is patience. We all progress at our own pace. If ever there was a time to be consistent, this is the time.

Manage the pain, perform the rehab once you’ve been given a program, take some nutrients that can benefit bone growth, and don’t stop until you have full function. That’s the bottom line on broken bones.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Orthop Res 38:695–707, 2020.

What Your Body Needs for Bone Repair

/in /by

When it comes to broken bones, especially in adults, what can be done to help the healing process? Pain management is always paramount because of the second reason: joint rehabilitation. If any movement is too painful, no one wants to rehab the muscles and tendons surrounding the joint, especially with a dislocation that stretches them beyond their normal capacity. Putting the bone in place is one thing, but getting the tendons and muscles to repair is another. There’s no being brave or gutting it out; rehab is necessary to restore complete joint function.

That raises the question: are there any supplements that can help with the healing process? The research is virtually non-existent, as outlined in a recent article, but there are some nutrients that make sense:

  • Vitamin C: an additional 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day. Vitamin C is involved in building connective tissues; bone, tendon, and ligaments are all connective tissue.
  • Vitamin D: an additional 50 to 100 mcg per day. Vitamin D is known for helping build bone, so it makes sense to increase the amount.
  • Glucosamine: 1,200 to 2,400 mg per day in total. Glucosamine, like vitamin C, is used in making all connective tissue. This appears to be important within the first two weeks after the injury, based on animal studies.
  • Calcium: 500 to 1,000 mg/day in total. The formation of the callus and conversion to bone requires calcium. Taking an extra amount, providing stone formation is not an issue, is important.

The final part of bone repair is patience. We all progress at our own pace. If ever there was a time to be consistent, this is the time.

Manage the pain, perform the rehab once you’ve been given a program, take some nutrients that can benefit bone growth, and don’t stop until you have full function. That’s the bottom line on broken bones.

Super Bowl Webinar Tomorrow!

The research is done, the presentation is ready, and I’ve practiced as much as I can. At this point, I can’t guarantee you’ll be on the live webinar, but if you’re not, you will still get the opportunity to watch it later in the day or whenever it’s convenient. Taking Back Your Muscle is the kick-off for Aging with a Vengeance 2023. I also think it’s the one that can benefit us the most. Hope to see you tomorrow!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Orthop Res 38:695–707, 2020.

When Elbow Met Sidewalk

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Riley’s mom, Jamie, slipped and fell on a patch of ice when she got home from work late on Friday. Although she was home, she lay outside in the 10 degree temperature until she could get inside and call me. A former farm girl, she’s no wimp and had fallen off horses plenty of times, but she was in severe pain. Off to the emergency room we went. She had dislocated the radius and had a small fracture at the head of that bone. The orthopedist determined that the fracture was small enough to forego surgery, and that they could get the bone back in its joint. They put her out during the procedure for about five minutes. The pain of resetting the bone is severe, but she remembered nothing.

The pain was back when she woke about 8 a.m. The prescription pain relievers weren’t working and the ice wasn’t helping much. She added another pain reliever they recommended, ibuprofen. As the day progressed, she got some relief. I told her that the swelling would come down rather quickly on the simple fracture, and the pain would decrease to just uncomfortable as long as she didn’t move it. She’s already doing much better.

Jamie has a long road until she teaches dance again, but she’ll be working on rehab soon. Is there anything she can do to heal faster? I’ll give you the answer on Saturday along with other tips to help with this type of injury.

Super Bowl Webinar is This Sunday!

If you want to attend the live version of the Super Bowl Webinar on Aging with a Vengeance: Taking Back Your Muscle, sign up today. About half the spots have been purchased and based on past experience, 60% sign up in the last three days before the webinar. If you don’t get into the live webinar, you’ll still be able to watch the recording at your convenience after it’s posted. Registration is $12.95; Members and Insiders get their usual discounts. Whatever your age, you’ll learn how to keep what you’ve got and take back the muscle you’ve lost. Don’t delay!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet