Breaking a bone is among the most inconvenient injuries, especially if you live a fitness lifestyle. The most common broken bone is the clavicle, and it can take four to eight weeks to heal after treatment has been administered. It can leave you immobile for a couple of weeks, uncomfortable and potentially in pain for a while. There are several things you can do to help with the recovery process to go smoothly after breaking a bone. Here are some to consider.
Proper Nutrition
Your diet is always important. Whether you are recovering from an injury or not, you must be taking care of your body by feeding it well. Be aware of your nutrition intake and avoid caffeine and alcohol to help your body recover easier. After a broken bone, the bone must regenerate. Your body and bones require healthy doses of calcium. You can get calcium into your body by eating meat, fish and fortified cereals. Consuming dairy products like yogurt, cheese, and milk is also helpful.
Safe Exercises
When you are sick, you are probably tempted to spend many days in bed sleeping and doing not much else. For a broken bone, some may believe that they cannot move around too often. This is false. Your doctor will tell you how long to limit your mobility, but this will depend on the extent of the injury as well as the location. As soon as you are cleared to begin therapy or safe exercises, you are encouraged to begin as soon as possible. Medical researchers know that exercise like walking and climbing stairs can help prevent osteoporosis, so it should be no surprise if these two activities are recommended. Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, maintains the cells of a skeleton and can encourage healing in the bones.
Time
Even though you follow a recommended diet and participate in safe exercises, you still must give your bones time to heal. A clavicle requires at least four weeks. The average bone requires six weeks. The larger the break, the more time you can tack on. Athletes, for example, need to keep healing time in mind. Training too hard, too quickly can re-injure the area, which will only set you back.
Vitamins
As you are healing, you are encouraged to keep an eye on your vitamin take-in. While supplements are usually not required, vitamin D and iron will help your recovery go smoothly and efficiently. The goal is to help the bone heal in a healthy manner. You are trying to prevent things like scar tissue and deformities. Your doctor will monitor the progress to ensure that nothing surrounding the bone accidentally heals onto the bone.
Bone injuries are inconvenient and broken bones slow you down. If you are not able to complete your everyday activities because you cannot walk, it is tempting to speed along the recovery process. Before taking things into your own hands, consult with your doctor and follow his recommendations.