The Role of Nutrition after Joint Replacement Surgery
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Joint replacement surgery is a complex surgery that places significant stress on your body and increases your nutritional needs as you heal and recover. Adequate nutrition during recovery from surgery can help to control inflammation, provide the necessary nutrients to rebuild and restore injured tissue, decrease the risk of muscle atrophy, and preserve muscle strength. Eating a high-quality protein, fiber and antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory diet post-surgery can play a pivotal role in your body’s healing process and recovery. Check out our tips for the top nutrients to consume post-joint replacement surgery!
How Surgery Affects Your Nutritional Needs
A patient’s nutrition not only can affect the healing and rebuilding of injured muscles and joints but also contributes to the levels of inflammation and pain in the body. Adequate nutrition during recovery from an injury or surgery can help to control inflammation, provide the necessary nutrients to rebuild and restore injured tissue, decrease the risk of muscle atrophy, and preserve muscle strength.
Following surgery, your body’s nutritional demands increase. Surgery causes the body to enter a higher metabolic state, increasing by 15-20% and requiring more energy to repair and heal affected tissue and bone. Limiting calories during your recovery can prolong the rehabilitation process and decrease protein stores, which limits the body’s ability to repair and heal tissue. Eating too few calories can accelerate muscle atrophy and make it more difficult to rebuild strength. It’s essential to support your recovery with sufficient calories and good quality protein and nutrients to support tissue and bone repair.
The stress and trauma of surgery can also weaken your immune system. During the initial inflammatory stage of recovery post-surgery, it’s essential to prevent excess inflammation which can impair blood flow and inhibit your healing. To support your immune system and reduce inflammation, it’s critical to eat Vitamin C and Zinc-rich foods and healthy omega-3 fatty acids. If you are nutrient deficient post-surgery, this can delay the natural healing process, increase the risk of infection, and prolong your recovery time.
Nutritional Recommendations after Joint Replacement Surgery
A well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet after joint replacement surgery can enhance your healing, support the rebuilding of injured muscles and joints, and help your recovery more quickly. Eating a high-quality protein, fiber- and antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory diet can help your body decrease inflammation post-surgery, minimize muscle mass loss, and promote tissue healing and wound healing.
Following joint replacement surgery, be sure to include these nutrients in your post-surgery eating plan:
Protein
Protein is necessary to support muscle protein synthesis, growth, and strengthening, heal wounds, repair broken bones, build healthy blood cells, and keep the immune system strong. Protein makes up 55% of our bone volume and is key to bone-healing post-joint surgery. Research has shown that eating enough protein post-surgery can attenuate bone loss, reduce the risk of post-surgery infections, and increase bone mass.
Recommended proteins: beef, eggs, milk, Greek yogurt, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb, fish, tofu, cheese, quinoa, beans, lentils, and hummus.
Fiber
Fiber supports healthy digestion and can help alleviate constipation related to pain medication intake post-surgery.
Recommended fiber sources: whole grains like oats and brown rice, beans and quinoa, fresh fruit like berries, apples, and prunes, and raw or cooked vegetables.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C has antioxidant properties that support your immune health. Vitamin C is also needed to make collagen and in the repair of tendons, ligaments, bones, and skin. Vitamin C also neutralizes free radicals that promote disease.
Recommended Vitamin C sources: citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, kiwi, strawberries, baked potatoes, bell peppers, and broccoli.
Zinc
Recommended zinc sources: animal protein, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, oysters, and dark poultry.
Calcium
Recommended calcium sources: dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), tofu, and dark vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and kale.
Vitamin D
Recommended Vitamin D sources: Get regular sunlight. There are small amounts of Vitamin D in salmon, eggs, tuna, cheese, and fortified milk.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and support bone formation. Omega-3 fatty acids also help support joint pain and swelling relief and lower inflammation.
Recommended sources of Omega-3 fatty acids: cold-water fatty fish like salmon and tuna, tofu, sardines, scallops, walnuts, and flax seeds.
After surgery, it’s important to stay well-hydrated. Fluids help the patient flush out the anesthesia, can decrease constipation, and addresses dehydration from pain medications. Maintaining good blood sugar control after surgery is also important as elevated blood sugar can delay the healing process and put you at greater risk for infection. Post-surgery, your body is also more sensitive to carbohydrates. Experts recommend avoiding sugary items and refined grains and opting for complex carbohydrates with fiber, such as lentils, sweet potatoes, berries, oatmeal, and kidney beans.
Nutrition can play a role in your healing and recovery during rehabilitation after an injury or surgery. Combining optimal nutrition via a whole-food, nutrient-rich diet with physical therapy can help you accelerate your healing process and regain strength and function more quickly.
