Exploring the connection between athletics and nutrition
Athletes who want a winning edge require proper nutrition. When you give your body the right fuel by hydrating and eating a balanced diet specific to the demands of your sport, you will maximize your athletic skills, gain more strength, power, and endurance when you train, and optimize recovery. Whether you find yourself recovering from a sprained ankle, a pulled muscle, or a stress fracture, sports injury recovery nutrition can help!
While it can be confusing to balance nutrition and other vital aspects of your health, a physical therapist who understands the demands of your sport can help steer you in the right direction and set you up with a sports nutritionist. Our physical therapists at Rose City Physical Therapy will work to optimize your overall sports injury recovery and return to performance with sport-specific techniques and strategies curtailed to you and your injury.
Call our clinic today to learn more about rehabilitation and how nutrition can improve your recovery!
Why Is Nutrition Important In Sports Injury Recovery?
When you put your body through strenuous activities such as rigorous training and contact sports, a sufficient combination of hydration and proper nutrition is essential. Some critical aspects of sports injury recovery nutrition include:
- Proper nutrition provides the fuel to optimize energy levels and improve athletic performance.
- Adequate protein intake is essential for muscle repair and recovery. It provides a proper balance of amino acids to rebuild damaged muscle tissue.
- Proper nutrition can reduce the risk of injuries. A balanced diet that includes essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals supports bone health, strengthens connective tissues, and promotes a healthy immune system.
- A healthy, well-balanced diet of whole foods can help to minimize inflammation throughout the body.
Sports Nutrition Tips From Our Experts
Sports injury recovery nutrition should be tailored to each athlete, considering their specific sport, goals, and physical health factors. Our practitioners at Rose City Physical Therapy understand the demands of individual sports. Our relationship with sports nutritionists allows us to make a recommendation to fit your needs.
When participating in athletics, it’s crucial to integrate these essential elements into your diet:
- Hydration: Water is a vital component of nutrition for athletes. When you exercise and sweat, you lose your body’s natural source of water, which can cause dehydration. Because your body cannot create or store water, you must replace the water you lose in your sweat.
- Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates fuel working muscles from starch, sugar, and glycogen. In addition, these nutrients assist in muscle recovery, blood sugar control, healthy digestion, and cholesterol and fat control from dietary fiber.
Healthy carbs include fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, oats, lentils, whole wheat bread, and pasta. - Proteins: Proteins are a vital energy source that facilitates the delivery of amino acids (the building blocks for growth and repair) essential for the body. In addition, protein is a muscle builder, and strong muscles play a significant role in every sport. You can consume more proteins by integrating lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, and dairy products into your diet. Athletes often supplement their protein intake with healthy shakes and smoothies using high-quality protein sources.
- Fats: Fat allows for the delivery of fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids, providing energy and muscular fuel and balancing hormone regulation. Healthy fats include cheese, whole milk, sour cream, olive oil, oily fish like salmon, nuts and seeds, and avocados.
Sports Injury Recovery and Nutrition Guidance at Rose City Physical Therapy
Lifestyle changes can significantly help you achieve your physical goals. Our physical therapists have extensive education on physiology and the importance of sports injury recovery nutrition. They can provide insight and general recommendations about your diet and nutrition related to your overall health and get you connected with a sports nutritionist to meet your specific demands.
If you’ve suffered a sports injury, our specialists can help you recover quickly. We will use a combination of treatments, including manual techniques like soft tissue and scan mobilizations, ASTYM™, joint mobilizations and manipulations, and active (dynamic) stretching (stretching performed by your therapist), as well as sport-specific functional exercises that improve your power, speed, and overall sports performance.
We will also teach you how to prevent future injuries with skills like proper warm-ups and cool-down drills and recovery tools like compression and adequate rest, all of which will help to facilitate a healthy recovery as you return to athletics.
Start Your Recovery Today
Want to get back in the game as soon as possible? Our Rose City Physical Therapy team in Portland, OR, is here to help! Call us today to discover how our treatment programs can help you this season.