Physical Therapist Questions Muscle tear

Does eating help muscles heal?

I'm a 24-year-old woman and a fitness freak. I tore a muscle while rowing recently, and am trying to speed the healing process as much as possible. What kind of diet is optimal for healing muscular tissue?

6 Answers

There isn’t much that can be done to expedite the healing process. The healing process also considers if there are any other ailments or previous injuries to the same area. In the meantime you could adapt an anti-inflammatory diet to help with underlying inflammation, but if the muscle is truly torn then time and a proper rehabilitation program is imperative to decrease risk for re-injury and optimal recovery.
I think you should rest and let your body heal first before resuming your activity
That is an excellent question for a dietician. I recommend a clean well balanced diet to eat more vegetables and fruits without any processed foods for my clients. Good luck.
Trying to speed up the recovery time will most likely cause further complications. I highly recommend that you follow the strict timeline from a physical therapist after they have been able to perform a full evaluation.
Try increasing your protein intake. Protein helps healing
Hi! Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately, there is not anything we can do to "speed-up" the healing process. Your specific situation sounds like a pretty serious muscle strain, and that type of injury takes time for the body to respond, rebuild and repair the tissues that were damaged. While I would advise to always stick to a balanced diet (moderate carbs, plenty of fruits and vegetables, protein), ensuring adequate intake of protein will help the damaged muscle heal. Be sure that you are getting a protein source with each meal of the day, and do not skip any meals in order to keep the muscle fed. The best diet that I would recommend would come from the International Society of Sports Nutrition:

-Overall daily protein intake in the range of 1.4–2.0 g protein/kg body weight/day (g/kg/d) and protein doses should be evenly distributed throughout the day (every 3-4 hours)

-45%-55% of total daily calories should come from carbohydrates

-Fats will be about 30% of the diet, and emphasis should be placed on Omega-3 fatty acids as there have been positive health benefits relating to muscles, heart, and mental health seen in research.

It is my philosophy that simple is best when it comes to diet.