When you get injured, you want to spend as little time as possible on the sidelines. This means that you need to take care of yourself properly to speed the process along. However, this doesn’t just mean giving yourself rest and taking any medication you might be on. It also means that you need to take care of your overall health carefully.
Unfortunately, we don’t always get everything we need from our diet and lifestyles alone. That’s why it can be monumentally helpful to make sure that you’re getting everything you need with the right supplements.
Copper
Copper isn’t a supplement you might think of on a daily basis but it’s absolutely invaluable to injury recovery. For one, it encourages the formation of red blood cells. This is important to injury recovery because these cells are so vital to your body and thus to the healing process.
You can also take copper supplements in tandem with Vitamin C supplements to help strengthen connective tissue and increase elastin production. This can help a variety of injuries.
Protein
Protein plays a huge role in muscle development and strengthening. This is crucial because even for the most fit athlete, an injury may lead to some muscle loss in the affected area. For instance, if you hurt your knee, you aren’t going to be doing the same amount of exercise to keep up with the level of fitness that it took to keep yourself in the same shape.
This is where protein comes in. While protein alone won’t keep your body in perfect shape, it will help you maintain some of your mass. In addition, protein can shorten the inflammation period after an injury which, when left unchecked, can slow the healing process.
According to a study published on PubMed, eating protein haphazardly isn’t the best way to gain these benefits. Instead, opt for multiple protein-rich meals a day and throw in a protein-rich snack before bed.
Nootropics Use
Nootropics are often referred to as “smart drugs” and are compounds made to help users with a variety of problems. For instance, they may help with cognitive performance, memory, or even just give you an extra boost.
Since light exercising can help you recover from an injury, it’s worth taking a look at nootropics that will give you a little extra energy. After all, it can be hard to find the motivation to work out when you’re injured and you’ve been limited to a lighter workout than you’re used to. Modafinil, Noopept, Pramiracetam, and even supplemental caffeine can all be used to give you a boost.
Zinc
Zinc is commonly found in protein-rich foods and, much like protein, they’re critical in injury recovery. In particular, zinc works well to help with tissue growth and tissue repair. You can get more zinc from your diet with meat, shellfish, fish, nuts, and seeds or you can opt for supplements.
You will want to be careful when implementing zinc into your supplement schedule, though. Since zinc can affect your body’s copper absorption, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before you try this supplement out.
Arginine
The amino acid arginine is important to the healing process because it encourages your body to deposit collagen. Collagen is a type of protein that helps the body recover from stress and injury.
In your everyday life, you probably produce enough arginine but in times of stress, your body likely struggles to keep up. This is why you’re going to want to make sure that you increase your arginine intake after getting injured.
Glucosamine
Glucosamine is a crucial component in the cartilage of your joints and your connective tissue. This makes it especially helpful in handling on-going conditions such as arthritis but also in joint injuries or cartilage tears. Like the other supplements on this list, this is a supplement that’s especially good to add to your rotation during the recovery process.
There are a lot of downsides to being injured from the physical pain to the limitation you have to deal with until you’re completely healed. By adding supplements like the ones we’ve looked at here to your daily routine, you can help your body heal faster.