The Role of Nutrition in Optimizing Recovery After Knee Replacement

When you have knee replacement surgery at Colorado Advanced Orthopedics, our knee surgeons perform the procedure using the outstanding techniques that earned us a 2024 Joint Replacement Excellence Award, but that’s only half the process of successful knee replacement. Next, it’s up to your body to successfully recover so that you can enjoy improved function and strength, as well as reduced discomfort.

To help your body recover, you should make sure it’s supplied with all the nutrients it needs. Here are some tips to ensure you’re getting the proper nutrition during recovery after knee replacement.

Fluids, Electrolytes, and Carbs

Immediately after your procedure, it’s important to hydrate a little more than usual. That’s because your body is trying to process anesthesia and medications. Having additional fluids makes it easier for your body to break down, utilize, and/or eliminate medications. Your body is also trying to replace lost blood, though your knee specialist will work to minimize that during your procedure.

At the same time, drinking too much water can cause your body to lose electrolytes. To avoid this, drink beverages that contain electrolytes. Carbs also help, too, because they can stimulate the levels of insulin-like growth factors that improve your body’s healing. Pedialyte and similar beverages have about the perfect balance of electrolytes and carbs, but if you don’t think they’re tasty, you can drink sports beverages, which have a little too much sugar, but are good nonetheless.

Proteins

Proteins help your body build and maintain all tissue, including muscle. Getting complete proteins helps ensure your body has all the amino acids it needs to heal and may help reduce muscle atrophy during recovery. Meats always contain complete proteins, but it’s possible to eat vegetarian food and still get the proteins you need. Tofu is a complete protein, but most other plant-based proteins need to be paired to give your body all the necessary amino acids. For example, peanut butter and wheat make a complete protein, as do beans and rice. As you can see, these combinations aren’t hard, but you do need to pay a little more attention.

Calcium

Calcium helps your body repair bones, but that’s not all. It also plays an important role in the motion of your muscles, so it can help you avoid muscle atrophy and keep your strength up during physical therapy.

Dairy is a good source of calcium, but so are green beans, broccoli, and sardines.

Iron

Iron plays many important roles in your body’s healing process. Iron is important for making blood to replace what you lost during surgery, and it helps your cells make energy so you can head off exhaustion and anemia during recovery. Iron also helps your body form collagen, the first stage in wound healing.

Iron supplements can cause constipation, so it’s best to get iron from food sources like beef, peas, beans, and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, so it’s good to consume these together. It’s another nutrient that plays an important role in wound healing. Along with iron, vitamin C plays an essential role in collagen formation. You probably know that oranges and other citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin C. However, you can also get vitamin C from many other sources, including berries, bell peppers, strawberries, and potatoes.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium. It helps your bones to heal, which is an essential part of recovery from knee replacement surgery. It can also help you avoid surgical complications, including joint infections. Vitamin D is one of the vitamins our body can manufacture, and all it takes is sunshine, which we’ve got plenty of in Colorado.

When possible, try to get out in the sunshine for about half an hour each day. You’ll want to get strong sunlight, but still try to avoid the hottest times of the day. Getting out around 10am will work. The sun will be intense enough, but the air is still heating up.

Raising the Bar for Orthopedic Care on the Western Slope

If you’re considering knee replacement surgery to alleviate pain associated with arthritis or another degenerative knee condition, Colorado Advanced Orthopedics can help. Located on the Western Slope, our knee specialists offer the same standard of care you might get by driving to a major metropolitan area, if not better. This isn’t just our opinion: data from the medical technology company Stryker shows that our knee surgeons achieve outcomes that exceed industry averages.

Successful knee replacement isn’t just a matter of technology. In part, we help you recover by providing personal, quality care focused on getting you back to enjoying all your favorite activities as soon as possible – without pain. We accomplish this by prioritizing exceptional patient care at every phase of your treatment, from your initial appointment throughout all follow-up visits. You’ll also benefit from having our in-house physical therapy team manage your rehab after surgery, as this ensures optimal levels of coordination between everyone on your care team. At Colorado Advanced Orthopedics, we’re committed to helping you live a pain free life once again.

Please contact us today to schedule an appointment. Colorado Advanced Orthopedics serves patients in Meeker, the White River Valley and throughout the Western Slope.