Eating to mend sports injuries

Sooner or later, almost everyone gets sidelined by an injury that keeps them from being physically active. Twisted ankles, tendinitis, pulled muscles and the more serious torn shoulder rotator cuffs used to mean weeks of inactivity and, with it, unwanted pounds that only complicated recovery.

These days, “we approach injury much like we would with any athlete,” says physical therapist Thomas Papke, a spokesman for the American Physical Therapy Assn. Professional athletes “wouldn’t sit out eight weeks while they recovered.... It’s appropriate to work through the healing cycle.”

But that doesn’t mean shooting up with cortisone or playing through pain. “Pain is a wonderful messenger to tell you when to stop,” Papke says.

Finding ways to stay active can help healing.

“When most people have an injury, it usually involves just one body part,” says registered dietitian Leslie Bonci, director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “There’s no reason you can’t exercise the rest of the body, although it will depend on the severity of the injury. “

It’s also important to eat well but not too much, because injuries often limit activity, which translates to burning fewer calories.

Some use an injury as a license to overeat high-calorie comfort food. Others, worried about weight gain, cut back so much on calories that they risk hampering healing. “You want to be selective about what you eat, not [be] in an elimination mode,” Bonci says.

Here’s what Papke and Bonci recommend (along with consultation with your physician or other health professional):

* Rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) is still the standard remedy for a new injury, when inflammation is worst. After that, use heat. Seek prompt medical attention to foster recovery. “Most of the problems that we deal with in our practice didn’t get help early on,” Papke says.

* Keep moving. The most painful and acute injury phase “lasts about a week to 10 days,” Papke says. That’s followed by stiffness. Once stiffness sets in, recovery is often lengthened -- which makes it important to try to move as much as possible during the acute phase. “So if you have a shoulder injury, rest that body part, but keep walking or biking or do breathing exercises or stretch other parts of the body,” he says. Water exercises can often be an option for those with leg, hip or back injuries.

How long does recovery take? Expect about four to six weeks for muscles to fully heal, Papke says. “Tendons take up to 10 weeks to heal, ligaments take up to 12 weeks and bone about eight weeks.” During this time, ease into gentle stretches to help reduce stiffness, Papke says.

* Let pain be your guide. If any activity hurts, stop immediately. If it doesn’t, keep moving. Small increments of activity -- as little as five minutes -- are fine.

* Strive to maintain your weight. “This isn’t a time for weight loss,” Bonci says. It’s nearly impossible to lose weight without also losing muscle mass, unless you’re doing regular weight training. Muscle loss can hamper recovery and lower metabolism.

* Add protein. It helps optimize tissue repair. No need for protein supplements. Simply consume about 10 extra grams of lean protein a day. That’s equal to a cup of low-fat yogurt; 10 ounces of skim milk; an ounce of lean meat, poultry or fish; two-thirds cup of beans; 1.5 ounces of low-fat cheese or a couple of sticks of string cheese.

* Boost vitamin C and zinc. Like protein, they help repair tissue. Foods rich in C, aside from citrus fruit, include broccoli, sweet peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and strawberries. Foods rich in zinc include oysters, crab, dark meat poultry, yogurt, milk, almonds, peanuts, cashews, baked beans and chickpeas.

* Try turmeric. This yellow herb is best known as a common ingredient of curry powder, but there’s growing scientific evidence to suggest that it has some of the same powerful anti-inflammatory properties as the prescription drugs Vioxx and Celebrex, without the side effects. Less inflammation usually means less pain. Bonci advises her patients to sprinkle a little turmeric onto salads, soups, vegetables or on meat or poultry. Mustard also contains small amounts of the herb.

* Reach for high-volume, filling, tasty -- and healthy -- comfort foods. Salads, soups and low-fat smoothies with plenty of ice are satisfying without being high in calories. Eat whole grain bread, pasta or rice; add plenty of veggies to the rice to dilute calories. Use fruit-flavored seltzer, ice and frozen fruit to make a slushy. Or mix guacamole with salsa for a tasty vegetable dip. To soothe nervous energy, Bonci recommends dipping into it with crunchy vegetables, including pickles, carrots and celery, “that keep the mouth busy without engaging the hips.”