Nutrition
A healthy diet is important for your recovery as well as for your long-term overall health. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for your primary carbohydrate intake rather than bread and junk food. Try to rely less upon pasta, grains, breads and starches. Sources of low fat protein (fish, poultry, tofu, or lean red meat) are important for soft tissue and bone healing. Flaxseed oil, linseed oil, green leafy vegetables, legumes, and certain fruits containing alpha linolenic acid and gamma linolenic acid have been shown to fight inflammation.
Important additional nutritional supplementation:
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Vitamin C 500 mg per day
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Vitamin A 5,000 IU per day
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Vitamin D 2,000 IU per day
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Calcium 1,500 mg per day (Calcium Citrate is best)
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Zinc 15 mg per day
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B Complex Supplements -usually eight B Vitamins in one pill
If you smoke, this is may be one of the most powerful factors that YOU control which may lead to sub-optimal outcomes. Nicotine has been shown in numerous studies to increase complication rates. The following risks have been well documented: wound breakdown, fracture nonunion, increased amputation rates, increased re-operation rates, and sub-optimal pain control.
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Please stop smoking to enhance your chances of a successful outcome!!!
During the time leading up to and following your operation, it is vitally important that you maintain adequate levels of vitamins and minerals as they have been shown to improve pain control and increase healing rates. Following completion of your treatment, we encourage you to maintain a healthy lifestyle with thoughtful meal choices and a daily multivitamin. Some studies suggest that the addition of glucosamine and chondroitin may help with painful arthritic joints. Maintaining an ideal body weight is an important factor in decreasing the risk factors associated with many chronic diseases as well as decreasing stress across arthritic joints.