Diet/Supplement regimen for surgery recovery/rehab?

[paulsed1]

I recently had surgery to repair my broken humerus. I had a spiral fracture, so it was determined that surgery was the best route to go. I had 10 screws plus a plate put in. Now of course I am looking at a long road of recovery of physical rehab to get my strength and mobility back. My hope is it wonâ??????t take too long to get back to the gym and training like I am used to, but I know there is obviously going to be some muscle loss since I wonâ??????t be able to lift heavy for a while.

I am not new to this, so I know I canâ??????t eat the same calorie wise as when getting more physical activity, but the thought of losing the hardly earned muscle depresses me quite a bit. Just wondering if anyone has tips/ideas for a good kind of dietary and/or supplemental regimen to minimize muscle loss while going through this recovery process (without getting too fat)? I have read about anabolic proteins and such, but I donâ??????t think there is anything invented yet that will add muscle without training. Any ideas are appreciated.

 

[Built]

You are going to lose muscle, and you are going to gain it back again when you're able to train normally again.

It is important that you remain well fed throughout your recovery, plenty of protein, calcium-rich foods such as cottage cheese, and plenty of healthy fat. I would suggest you keep carbs down to a dull roar since you won't be using them up like you normally would - I somehow doubt hyperinsulemia is something you'd want to promote while healing a bone.

Protein metabolism increases the need for calcium, but the combination is great for growing bone. And healthy saturated fats promote sex hormone production, so those would seem prudent as a dietary focus, as well as plenty of colourful vegetables and fruits for their antioxidant and other benefits.

Try to remain as active as you can with your training - obviously upper body work is going to be compromised, but you may be able to use machines for some of your work, and you can try doing squats with a weight hanging off a belt if you can't hold it on your shoulders - this should help keep your metabolism going and hopefully keep you as anabolic as you can manage.

Get plenty of sleep!

 

[nadirmg]

healthy saturated fats promote sex hormone production

paulsed1 - i've never broken a bone before, but last year i hurt my rotator cuff and was out of the gym for about 6 months. the one thing i regret was that i ate like crap. consequently i became pretty weak - not to mention the whole rehabbing my shoulder thing...

anyway, follow built's advice and don't give up, bro.

 

[paulsed1]

Built - thank you so, so much for the tips. I haven't gone to the gym yet, but will soon. Surgery was eight days ago, I seem to be doing okay, but it is going to be tough not being able to train like I am used to, especially now that the weather is just starting to turn nice. I am already missing my heavy benching and arm work, but I will try the things you mentioned. I've been keeping my diet clean. It is going to be tough to know when to get back into regular training. Right know my ROM is severly limited, so I first would like to be able to use my right hand again for daily living. The doc said the bone takes about 3 to 4 months to fully calcify, so I guess that is the timeframe? I of course don't want to reinjure myself, but my desire in the gym has always been super intense, so it is very tough on me psychologically. I hope this limited ROM is just a temporary thing too from the surgery and not from the plate being in my arm. I start PT tomorrow.

 

[paulsed1]

Nadirmg - thanks for the words of encouragement. This is the toughest thing I have ever had to deal with, just hope things come out better in the long run!

 

[nadirmg]

i know how hard it can be. my injury happened right when i was starting to make some gains - and then WHAM.

it least once a bone heals it'll be nice and strong. with muscle/tendon injuries, like mine, i have to be careful loooong after i've recovered.

 

[PGHRam]

paulsed1 - i've never broken a bone before, but last year i hurt my rotator cuff and was out of the gym for about 6 months. the one thing i regret was that i ate like crap. consequently i became pretty weak - not to mention the whole rehabbing my shoulder thing...

anyway, follow built's advice and don't give up, bro.

I probably went about this the wrong way, but at the time I didn't care. I was going through some personal problems and could care less. I had to lift to get the bad feelings out.
Any way, when I started training last fall, I couldn't even swing a golf club. Hurt my left cuff riding a dirt bike. Everyone said to take time off and let it heal. I didn't listen and kept pushing on. Benching hurt at 135lbs, shoulder exercises hurt, and just about any thing I was hurting it again and again. My son threw me a football and I reached for it with my left hand out to the side. It felt like it popped out.
But now, it's strong and feeling good. Bench is up to 280 without it hurting at all. Shoulder workouts are great.
Don't follow what I did, I was an ass about it and didn't care. Follow Built's advice. She knows what to do. She is helping me out now, and I am so grateful for that. Truly a wonderful person!