Breaking a bone can cause considerable pain and distress. Besides the initial injury, you need to learn new ways to do almost everything from showering, commuting to work and maneuvering through the grocery store. If you’re an athlete, you need to adjust your training routine as well.
Is there any way to make broken bones heal quicker? The answers from doctors and scientists range from “Absolutely not” to “Well, maybe.” But if you’re on the injured list anyway, why not take any safe means necessary to shorten your stay by trying the tips below?
1. Eat a Healthy Diet and Get Some Sun
Your body cannot heal when it lacks the proper nutrients. Strive to make fruits and vegetables in every color imaginable half of every meal. Fill the rest of your plate with lean proteins and healthy fats. Getting adequate calcium intake is critical, so speak with your doctor about supplementation if you eschew dairy products for any reason. Otherwise, bump up your consumption of yogurt, milk and cheese.
The body cannot break calcium down into a usable form for the bones without vitamin D. Fortunately, your body naturally makes vitamin D with a little help from the sun. Strive to get outdoors for at least 10 to 15 minutes daily without sunscreen — have a friend or partner wheel you to a sunny porch or balcony if you’re in a chair.
2. Invest in a Knee Scooter for a Broken Lower Limb
You can get about on crutches, but have you tried grocery shopping with a crutch under each arm, or carrying a briefcase and crutches onto public transport? A knee scooter for a lower-body fracture restores you nearly to full mobility and doesn’t give you blisters under your arms. You often can find inexpensive ones on swap sites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
3. Follow Your Doctors’ Orders Carefully
Bones go through four stages of healing, and returning to health as quickly as possible means following your doctors’ orders. Pass on testing broken bones by trying to put weight on them too soon. Being reckless could result in needing a lengthier recovery period.
4. Pass on Smokes and Booze
Both alcohol and nicotine steal minerals bones need to heal. Furthermore, nicotine suppresses osteoblasts from creating mineralized nodules needed in healing. So if you want to heal faster, lay off the sauce and smokes!
5. Learn to Exercise Sitting Down
Sure, you may look funny rolling your way into a Silver Sneakers class at the gym if you’re only 25, but don’t worry — the regular participants will cheer your healing. If it’s unrealistic for you to make it to the fitness center at all, invest in some inexpensive hand weights and resistance bands and hop on YouTube. You can find tons of free, chair-based workouts, so you can at least get a partial sweat on while your broken limb heals.
6. Try the Devil’s Backbone
Cissus quadrangularis, also known as devil’s backbone, veldt grape and harjor, is an Asian plant which some scientific evidence indicates may assist in bone healing. While the herb is bitter, herbalists use it both internally and externally to heal bones and treat osteoporosis. The plant is high in vitamin C, and because it’s safe for use with few counterindications, it may be worth a try.
Can You Make Bones Heal Faster? Maybe, but You Need Not Make Them Worse
As of today, the only foolproof method of healing broken bones involves immobilization and good, old-fashioned time and patience. However, even if you can’t speed up the process as much as you like, you can keep from slowing it down by following the tips above. Here’s wishing you speedy healing and a full recovery!
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