Today, we’re going to talk about an important part of the healing process that often goes ignored: nutrition. After spinal surgery, many patients feel they should “treat” themselves during what can be a difficult time, by eating all their favorite unhealthy foods. While we’re certainly not opposed to an occasional bowl of ice cream or slice of pizza, we do want our patients to provide their bodies with the proper fuel for recovery. Here are a few foods you should make sure to incorporate into your diet post surgery:
H20
Even if you haven’t had surgery, staying hydrated is essential to helping your body run efficiently. By making sure you get at least 2 to 3 liters of water a day, you can help fight off nausea, headaches and other aches and pain commonly experienced post operation.
High-protein Foods
When body builders are trying to bulk up, they often consume high amounts of lean meat in order to provide their muscles with the protein they need to grow. The same principle applies to patients who have had surgery. Often times, muscle tissue has been damaged during your surgery, and providing it with the protein it needs to repair itself is an important part of a speedy recovery.
Oranges
Oranges and other citrus fruits provide the body with a high dose of vitamin C, which increases collagen productions. This allows any soft tissue that was damaged during your operation to effectively repair itself.
Sweet Potatoes
After surgery, your body is putting most of its resources into healing the area that was operated on, which can leave your immune system vulnerable and weakened. You can give your immune system a boost by consuming vitamin A-rich foods, such as sweet potatoes.
Yogurt or Kefir
Post-surgery pain medications can often be harsh on your gut. Consuming probiotics like yogurt or kefir can help keep your bowels healthy and operating smoothly.
At Legacy Spine and Neurological Specialists, we always seek out the minimally invasive course of treatment for our patients. While we avoid surgery at all costs, some cases simply require it if the patient is ever going to get relief. For those of our patients who do undergo spinal surgery, we do everything we can to make the procedure as positive an experience as possible. We often utilize minimally invasive spinal surgery techniques to cut down on post-operation pain and speed up recovery, we regularly check in with the patient to make sure recovery is going smoothly, and we provide plenty of resources to help the patient make decisions that will promote healing.