The first temptation a lot of athletes have when they get injured is to cut calories significantly. Often you feel as though because you cannot make progress in other areas, shifting that focus towards fat loss can be another outlet for progress.

While I understand where this thought process comes from, I would argue that most of the recovery process should be spent consuming enough calories to maintain your weight. Recovery is a process that benefits from having some additional calories.

Being on low calories can slow down the healing process. Since you are not able to train certain areas effectively, the combination of low calories and a lack of training stimulus can speed up muscle loss.

Staying at maintenance calories provides a balance between minimising both fat gain and muscle loss. 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.

It is more difficult to build muscle and strength in a calorie deficit. Having more calories can directly speed up injury recovery while also helping you indirectly by fuelling muscle growth. Directly after the injury when the risk of muscle loss is the greatest, it can make sense to stick near maintenance calories at the start.

This is to try to reduce the amount of muscle that is lost. Then as the pain is decreasing and the rehab process is ramping up, you might want to consider a calorie surplus.

For example, if you need to gain a certain amount of quad or calf size or strength, this will be a lot easier and quicker to do in a calorie surplus. At the end of the process though, you want to be near your peak body composition for your sport, if possible.

Since body fat will likely have increased a bit with this approach due to a combination of the reduced training stimulus and the calorie surplus phase, it likely makes sense to have a phase in a calorie deficit. As mentioned previously, you do not want to spend much of the rehab process in a deficit.

But the overall goal is to return to sport as effectively as we can, and that likely requires a certain body composition. One is that your calorie expenditure is likely lower due to being less active. This means that maintenance calories will be a bit lower than they previously were.

In most cases, the decrease in calories required to achieve maintenance calories is less than expected. But it is still a factor worth considering. Another aspect is that you might now be at home more often and have more time and access to food than you previously did.

The combination of these things can make it difficult to avoid accidentally overconsuming calories. One tool I would consider using to manage this if it is an issue is volume eating. This concept involves eating a larger volume of lower-calorie food.

Basically, it might make it easier to consume an appropriate amount of calories since you get to eat more food for the same amount of calories. When an athlete who trains hard takes a break from training, it typically takes ~3 weeks before muscle loss is measurable. This is reassuring if you have got an injury where you are still able to move the affected area a bit.

Since getting the quads strong and balanced between sides is an important rehab outcome, any steps that can be taken to minimise that muscle loss in that phase is crucial.

The current recommendation for protein intake during injury recovery is 1. The upper end of this range is particularly relevant when the risk of muscle loss is at its highest, such as during immobilisation. The average athlete who is injured does not get anywhere near this level.

You could significantly improve your recovery outcomes by doing this thing. The best approach to overcoming the first challenge is to add liquid protein sources in addition to regular protein-rich meals. For the second challenge, you want to prioritise protein sources that are high in protein and relatively low in fat and carbohydrates where possible.

While I would not aim to get a large percentage of your intake from supplements, adding some protein supplements can help with both of those problems.

Creatine helps with building muscle and strength. It has obvious applications for longer rehab protocols. There is also research indicating that during immobilisation creatine can help with lean mass retention and reduces loss of strength.

There is not a lot of research on this topic, but it looks promising. Another study on strength gains weeks after ACL surgery found that creatine significantly outperformed placebo.

It is worth highlighting that not ALL the research has shown positive outcomes. One study measuring strength after 30 days after knee surgery found that creatine did not improve outcomes.

While the evidence is not overwhelmingly positive, it is enough that I think it is worth taking creatine. Particularly because there is minimal downside to doing so. Dosage and how to take: 20g per day for 5 days, followed by 5g per day ongoing.

This is a simplified protocol. If you want more details, check out our post on the topic. There are proposed mechanisms for how omega-3s can help due to enhancing anabolic sensitivity to amino acids as well as help from an anti-inflammatory perspective.

There is minimal research looking at fish oil and immobilisation. The research we do have is surprisingly promising. An example of this involved lower limb immobilisation for 2 weeks.

The fish oil group maintained significantly more muscle than the placebo group. Although the research looks promising, I would keep an open mind on this topic.

I would not be surprised if more research came out showing it does not matter. I also heard the main author of that study on a podcast say an interesting line. A nuanced approach could involve taking fish oil leading up to and post-surgery if you have a serious injury and a surgery date planned though.

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

The mechanism that I propose involves the collagen peptides breaking down into amino acids, as mentioned. But either way, collagen protein has a very different amino acid profile to other protein sources. It is a lot higher in proline, glycine, lysine and arginine than most other protein sources.

We have evidence that these amino acids peak in the blood ~ minutes after consumption. Theoretically, we can target the injured area by getting blood flow to the area with training. Even without that, some of the research looks promising anyway. There is also evidence of an increase in collagen synthesis in the body following supplementation and a targeted exercise protocol too.

In terms of the evidence, while the evidence is mixed, all the research fitting the following criteria has shown positive outcomes:. There also is not a lot of quality research on the topic.

At the moment, my interpretation of the research is that it helps. But I am watching the space closely to see if anything comes along to change my mind. One of the most promising studies, in particular, involved a patellar tendinopathy case study.

The MRI footage showed complete healing of the patellar tendon, which is exceptionally rare. Often with tendinopathy that severe, MRI footage still shows a damaged area long after the pain has gone. Dosage and How to Take: g of collagen or gelatin, minutes prior to training.

If you have not consumed any vitamin C for the day, it makes sense to add that too. Vitamin C is required for collagen synthesis. At a population level, supplementing those things, without further context e.

dietary intake and blood levels leads to increased bone mineral density. Supplementing with calcium and vitamin D has evidence of improving fracture recovery. A RDN can assist in building a plan that includes high quality foods.

Hoogenboom is a professor and an associate program chair at Grand Valley State University, in the Department of Physical Therapy. She was one of the first Board Certified Sports Clinical Specialists in West Michigan in , and has since been recertified twice by the ABPTS, most recently in She has been a Certified Athletic Trainer since She maintains a clinical practice by volunteering at the GVSU Pro Bono clinic.

Barb is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and a member of the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy, where she has been honored with the Academy's highest award, The Ron Peyton Award, and is also a member of the Turner A.

Blackburn Sports Physical Therapy Hall of Fame. She also received the "Lifetime Excellence in Education" award from the AASPT. She is a member of the Female Athlete Triad Coalition, and The Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. Barb enjoys clinical research, and has authored many research and clinical commentary articles on the female athlete, nutrition, functional movement, and movement analysis.

She has contributed to 10 textbooks and 5 Home Study Courses on various musculoskeletal topics. She is the editor of the therapeutic exercise textbook entitled "Therapeutic Exercise: Techniques for Intervention" the third edition of which was released in She is also the Senior Associate Editor for The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.

Articles Exercises Research Education My Account Newsletter Sign Up. You did not add any gift products to the cart. Check your available gifts! Expert Nutrition Guidelines for Injury Recovery By: Rebecca Moore Add to Favorites.

Nutrition Guidance for Wound Care While you might not view wound care as an energy-draining process, the body actually demands an increased amount of energy so the wound can heal correctly.

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.

Theoretically, we can target the injured area by getting blood flow to the area with training. Even without that, some of the research looks promising anyway.

There is also evidence of an increase in collagen synthesis in the body following supplementation and a targeted exercise protocol too.

In terms of the evidence, while the evidence is mixed, all the research fitting the following criteria has shown positive outcomes:.

There also is not a lot of quality research on the topic. At the moment, my interpretation of the research is that it helps.

But I am watching the space closely to see if anything comes along to change my mind. One of the most promising studies, in particular, involved a patellar tendinopathy case study. The MRI footage showed complete healing of the patellar tendon, which is exceptionally rare.

Often with tendinopathy that severe, MRI footage still shows a damaged area long after the pain has gone. Dosage and How to Take: g of collagen or gelatin, minutes prior to training. If you have not consumed any vitamin C for the day, it makes sense to add that too. Vitamin C is required for collagen synthesis.

At a population level, supplementing those things, without further context e. dietary intake and blood levels leads to increased bone mineral density. Supplementing with calcium and vitamin D has evidence of improving fracture recovery. 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. 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. 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.

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