Nutritional counseling is an important aspect to consider to ensure adequate healing of injuries.  Weight loss may be necessary, especially with chronic injuries, when once active, athletic patients become sedentary due to painful injuries.  When the same number of calories (or more) are consumed and there is a concomitant drop in caloric expenditure due to lack of exercise, the inevitable response is weight gain.

Weight gain leads to a whole host of secondary disorders if left untreated: hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and the increased load of the extra weight on the injured body segment.  One of the prime risk factors for joint replacement is excess body weight.

Addressing the weight issue early, while properly diagnosing the true underlying cause for pain, and then implementing an appropriate and quick treatment response minimizes the possible necessity of joint replacement surgery.  If the injury has been prolonged, misdiagnosed, or unsuccessful surgery has occurred, it is not unusual to find patients who have gained substantial weight.  In these cases, an appropriate weight loss program is necessary to assist in the healing process.

Often, when the injured segment heals, weight loss and exercise improve secondary health issues and often medications for hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol are reduced or no longer needed.  This illustrates the old saying, "less is more."

There are many weight loss programs available.  The first key is to find a program that works for you and then stick with it.  For patients that need to lose more than 20 pounds, the HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) diet has become popular. 

The second key is exercise – which we will cover in the future.

Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only and not for medical diagnosis or treatment.  If you have a medical concern or issue, please consult with your physician.