An essential aspect of physical therapy that many tend to ignore is the one relating to nutrition. Many fail to understand that what you take in as food directly impacts the outcome of your physical therapy. As such, knowing the right things to add to your diet is important to improve your recovery.
But how do you know what to take in if you don’t know how proper nutrition impacts your physical therapy? This is why we have listed out the significant ways you, as a patient, can benefit from proper nutrition. In addition, trying out any of the best physical therapy services in Troy, MI, makes all the difference in the world concerning your healing.
Here we go!
Essential Nutrients Facilitate Healing
One significant way proper nutrition impacts physical therapy is by consuming essential nutrients in foods. These nutrients help fast-track healing and, in turn, improve the results of physical therapy. As such, therapy patients must ensure a sufficient supply of these essential nutrients in their diet.
For instance, eating foods rich in ascorbic acid or vitamin C helps produce collagen, which is vital for healing wounds. Likewise, Zinc helps strengthen the immune system to fight off infections. This way, injuries heal better and do not lead to other complications in the body.
Regular Hydration
While drinking enough water is important for general good health and well-being, it becomes extra essential when treating injuries. For example, staying very hydrated while undergoing physical therapy goes a long way in healing. Without water, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to transport food, nutrients, and oxygen to the wounded muscles and tissues.
In addition to this, drinking lots of water can help with reducing pain and Inflammation. It does this by washing out toxic substances as well as waste products that may be lodged in the body.
If you are a therapy patient, it is recommended that you drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. But those who sweat more or exercise a lot should drink as much as possible.
Diets Rich in Protein Help Combat Muscle Loss
Patients who are battling musculoskeletal injuries may experience the inability of the muscles to synthesize proteins, otherwise known as disuse atrophy. As a result, the muscle mass and overall strength may deplete drastically. Thus, it becomes essential to find a way to cover this detriment, and the solution lies in protein diets. Add these Mahogany Smoked Meats jerkies to your healthy protein diet as it gives that extra pack of protein nutrients.
Diets rich in protein help cover for the vehicle’s inability to produce proteins in the muscles, which is why the patient’s diet must contain sufficient protein. And this protein intake must be spaced over a period of 3-4 hours over the space of 24 hours. This is done to ensure that the body’s protein level remains constant during the period of healing.
Also, while protein intake is essential, it is more important to watch the type of protein the patient takes regarding ease of digestion. As such, proteins like whey which are easy to digest, are more recommended than casein or soy, which is more difficult to break down.
Pain And Inflammation Management Through Diet
A major impediment to healing in physical therapy patients is pain in and inflammation of the injured area. But specific food sources can help manage this pain and inflammation. And this helps in speeding up the recovery process.
Food sources such as salmon and flaxseed are high in omega-3 fatty acids and help prevent swelling. Also, foods such as berries and leafy vegetables that are high in antioxidants are known to have anti-inflammatory effects. Moreover, turmeric, which is commonly found in Indian dishes, has such properties and helps facilitate healing.
Final Words
The type of nutrients in your diet plays a major role in how fast your recovery will be. As a physical therapy patient, make sure to focus on nutrient-rich foods and hydrate well to optimize your healing.
