Heal Your Broken Bone Faster
Patients often don’t have patience when it comes to recovering from a fractured bone. Though the healing process following a broken bone depends on many factors, including your age, overall health, nutrition, blood flow to the bone, and treatment method the trauma doctors at Slocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine say there are a number of ways you can speed up the process.
Stop Smoking
“There’s no disputing that patients who smoke have a much longer average healing time than patients who don’t smoke,” explains Dr. Daniel V. Sheerin, trauma doctor at Slocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. Dr. Sheerin says patients who smoke also have a much higher risk of developing a nonunion (non-healing of the bone), because smoking affects blood flow to bone, slowing down the delivery of necessary nutrients and cells that allow the bone to heal.
Eat a Balanced Diet
Feeding your body with nutrient-rich foods improves your bone health. A balanced diet ensures adequate nutritional intake of all food groups.
Increase Your Vitamin D Intake
Vitamin D can be helpful in speeding up the healing of your broken bone by improving calcium absorption from your diet and increasing your bone metabolism. Most people in the northwest have deficient Vitamin D levels. In order to help your broken bone heal faster, you should take 2,000 units of Vitamin D-3 daily.
Watch Your Calcium
While calcium is needed to heal bones, taking excessive doses of calcium will not help you heal faster. Make sure you are consuming the recommended dose of calcium, but keep in mind that maintaining a balanced diet is far more important than mega-doses of calcium.
Follow Your Treatment Plan
It’s important to adhere to the treatment method recommended by your doctor. This may include a cast, rest, surgery, and crutches. Altering your treatment by removing a cast or walking on a broken bone before your doctor allows can significantly delay your recovery.
If you’d like to learn more, please contact Slocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine by calling 541.249.4091. For additional health, wellness, and injury prevention tips, “like” Slocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine on Facebook or follow @SlocumCenter on Twitter.
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