Best Supplements for Injury or Surgery Recovery

Supplementation may be an aspect of your overall approach to health and wellness that you monitor consistently when things are proceeding as usual, and you’re working out regularly, but if you suffer from a major injury or — heaven forbid — require surgery to set your body on the path to recovery, how should your approach to nutrition change, if at all?

Whether you suffer from an injury or undergo surgery, your body will find itself suffering from severe trauma. So, how should your supplementation plan change to accommodate that, especially since there’s a very good chance you won’t be able to avail yourself of any training opportunities for a long time? 

Protein: The perfect supplement for wound repair

It wouldn’t be altogether wrong to characterize surgery as a glorified stabbing incident. Yes, the surgeons and medical practitioners involved in the procedure are experts at their jobs, and they are doing their best to minimize the harm that is inflicted on your body. None of that should distract you from the fact that some region of your anatomy is being cut open with a sharp blade, your innards are being adjusted, implanted, or removed, and then you are being sewn and stapled back together.

The disruption of your body with blades and other medical instruments causes significant damage to your muscles and other tissues no matter how you slice it. Fortunately, the best way to improve the healing process by accelerating tissue regeneration is the same way you would spawn the creation of new tissue under ordinary circumstances… through an increase in protein consumption. Studies show that diets high in protein have been able to expedite the post-surgery healing process, and swiftly get you back into working order.

Creatine: A key supplement for mental and emotional well being

One of the immediate challenges of post-op life is not being able to engage in all the activities that you used to. If much of your joy came from the endorphin rush produced by exercise and training, being bedridden can not only cut you off from one of your most consistent mood enhancers, but it can also leave you reeling from symptoms of depression.

Once again, the solution to this potential problem may be in the continued consumption of a supplement that you already have in your gym bag. Yes, you were probably interested in creatine for its proven boost to your energy reservoir, and its ability to help you build muscles with greater speed. However, creatine’s ability to heighten the level of ATP in your brain and elevate your brain’s energy level has also been demonstrated to alleviate symptoms of depression.

In short, the same supplement that helps you to feel better about your physique when combined with hard work can also do the heavy lifting during the process of stabilizing your positive state of mind as your body mends itself.

Magnesium: The natural adversary of restlessness and constipation

The preferred way for you to pass the time after surgery and ensure that your body is repairing itself at a hastened pace is to sleep. However, this is easier said than done, because the physical intrusion caused by surgery can lead to intense discomfort as your body attempts to repair itself. 

This is bad enough, but the combination of anaesthetic and painkillers can leave you with the worst case of constipation you’ve ever dealt with in your life. For as long as this condition lasts, it will provide you with a second source of discomfort that will interrupt your sleep, and consequently disrupt your ability to heal.

Surprising as it may be, there is a single supplemental solution to both of these annoyances, and it’s found in the form of magnesium. Whether you take magnesium bisglycinate, magnesium calcinate, or some other form of magnesium, all forms of this mineral will in some way assist your muscles with relaxation. While the former amplifies sleep signalling, and the latter improves bowel function, both sufficiently relax your muscles in ways that can ease constipation and improve your odds of acquiring more sleep.

No need to change course

The clear irony is that all three of the supplements presented here — protein, creatine, and magnesium — are nutrient assets that can support your active lifestyle. This means there is a decent chance that you’re already consuming all three of them with regularity. If anything, you should let this be a lesson to you that if a supplement is ideal to ingest when your body is operating in a state of optimum health, it can also help to minimize and shorten your discomfort when you’re in a convalescent state.

Key Takeaways

1. The consumption of certain supplements can accelerate your healing and ease your discomfort after major surgery.

2. High protein intake has been linked with shortened recovery times following major surgeries, caused by faster recuperation from muscle damage.

3. Taking creatine after surgery can help you to maintain a positive attitude, as creatine has demonstrated the ability to boost your brain’s energy level, and minimize depressive thoughts.

4. To combat the restlessness and constipation that often follow surgical repairs, magnesium supplements can assist by relaxing your muscles in a way that alleviates constipation and induces sleep.

5.  While all three of the recommended nutrients are beneficial to the optimal functionality of your body during periods of peak health, they are equally as beneficial in enhancing your physical and mental states to ease your post-surgery recovery period.