Recovering From a Broken Bone

On several occasions I’ve seen something like the picture to the right on an x-ray I’ve taken at the office.  One of the ugliest fractures I saw was on 14 year-old Nathan.  I’m not sure I even needed an x-ray to see that his collarbone was broken.  The big ‘bump’ on the front of his shoulder was very telling.  Most of the time the ‘treatment’ given by me is to send the person to the hospital.  When it comes to chiropractic, there’s not much to be done with a broken bone.  However, there are a few things you can do to help speed the healing process so you can get back to your normal activities as soon as possible.

For most people, recovering from a broken bone is an exercise in patience. For an active person, especially an active 14 year old, being told that you have to significantly reduce or cease activity in order to let the bone heal is tantamount to torture.

Stop taking NSAIDs for pain relief – When cells are damaged in a fracture, large amounts of prostaglandins are released.  This is what causes the pain you feel, but it’s also instrumental in the early stages of tissue repair.  In order to alleviate pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs stop the action of prostaglandins.  This means that it’s a good idea to stop taking these as soon as possible after suffering a broken bone.  Alternatively, you could take a non-NSAID pain medication such as acetaminophen for pain relief, as it does not have the same effect on prostaglandins.

Stop smoking – The broken bones of people who smoke take longer to heal.  Smoking reduces blood flow, thus reducing the amount of nutrients and oxygen getting to the injury site.  The chemicals released in the blood from smoking damage the cells that form bone and can significantly increase healing time or can prevent complete healing altogether.

Get more calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K – These vitamins and minerals are all integral to healthy bone growth.  We have all heard about how important calcium is in the diet, but if you take a lot of calcium without accompanying it with magnesium and vitamins D and K, much of that calcium will not be absorbed by your bones.  Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, collard greens and Swiss chard are among the best sources of not only calcium, but magnesium and vitamin K as well.  Considering the current weather here in Wisconsin, I highly suggest you supplement for Vitamin D.

Cut down on sugar and caffeine intake – Caffeine and sugar both increase the excretion of calcium from the bones by 25-50 percent.  That’s a lot!  So lay off the coffee and doughnuts for a while!

Increase your protein intake – Nearly half of the compounds that make up your bones are comprised of protein.  In order to give your bones the building blocks they need to speed healing and minimize further bone loss, incorporate more healthy protein into your diet, such as beans, nuts, and fish or chicken.

Just like a regular adjustment and regular exercise, it’s all about making your body as strong and resilient as possible.  You can’t prevent every bad thing from happening to you (like an illness or a broken bone), but you CAN have a direct effect on how quickly and fully your body heals from that unfortunate event!