Nutrition's Role in Tissue Healing

Two patients, same injury, same rehab program — different recoveries. Training and genetics explain part of that gap, but one underrated variable sits on the plate: healing is a construction project, and construction needs materials.

(General education, not personalized medical advice — loop in your physician or a registered dietitian for specific conditions.)

Protein: the framing lumber

Repairing tissue is built largely from protein, and injured bodies need more of it than usual — especially when activity drops and muscle would otherwise waste. Practical targets for most healing adults: protein at every meal (roughly a palm-sized portion), totalling somewhere near 1.6-2.2 g per kilogram of body weight daily, spread evenly rather than crammed into dinner. After surgery this matters doubly: post-operative muscle loss is rapid, and protein plus early rehab is the counter.

Energy: don't renovate during a famine

A common mistake: eating much less because "I'm not training anyway." Healing itself raises energy demands — significantly after surgery or major injury. Under-eating slows tissue repair and accelerates muscle loss. This is not the season for an aggressive cut.

The supporting cast

• Vitamin C — required for collagen synthesis; peppers, citrus, berries, broccoli
• Zinc — wound-healing workhorse; meat, legumes, seeds, nuts
• Calcium and vitamin D — non-negotiable for bone healing; dairy or fortified alternatives, plus D supplementation worth discussing in a Calgary winter
• Omega-3 fats — support a balanced inflammatory response; fatty fish, walnuts, flax
• Collagen and vitamin C pre-exercise — early evidence suggests possible benefits for tendon and ligament rehab; reasonable, low-risk, not magic

What works against you

Alcohol measurably impairs tissue repair and sleep quality; smoking constricts the blood supply healing depends on (it's one of the strongest predictors of poor bone and tendon healing); and ultra-processed-heavy diets crowd out the nutrients above. You don't need perfection — you need the construction site supplied.

The bigger picture

Nutrition, sleep, and progressive loading are the three legs of recovery — and rehab is where we come in. Build the program, get the materials, heal on schedule. Call 587-355-3555 — Nolan Hill Physiotherapy & Massage, NW Calgary.