Wonder how you can speed up recovery after a sports injury or surgery? Support healing through proper nutrition. Fueling your body with the right foods and drinks can help you recover faster and strengthen your immune system. Discover how an Enhanced Medical Nutrition program can ensure you're nutritionally ready for orthopedic surgery and set you up for a smoother recovery.
What Is Enhanced Medical Nutrition?
Enhanced Medical Nutrition (EMN) refers to a specialized approach to preparing patients for surgery and aiding in recovery through targeted nutritional support. It involves optimizing a patient's diet before, during, and after surgery to promote healing, reduce the risk of complications, and boost the immune system. EMN focuses on providing the body with the right balance of nutrients, such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals, to enhance tissue repair, reduce inflammation, and improve recovery outcomes.
An EMN program is often customized to meet the specific needs of each patient based on their health condition, type of surgery, and recovery goals. In orthopedic surgery, EMR plays a key role in improving recovery outcomes by supporting tissue repair, reducing inflammation, and boosting strength.
The OrthoBundle program includes specialized products that target the specific needs of patients undergoing orthopedic procedures, including a wide range of minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures of the shoulder, hip and knee. The program is structured to enhance recovery by optimizing the patient’s nutritional status before and after surgery, helping to reduce complications and accelerate healing.
Orthopedic EMN Program: OrthoBundle Components:
Preoperative Nutritional Optimization: This involves the use of EMN's PREcovery® product, which prepares the body for surgery by providing the necessary carbohydrates and nutrients to support energy levels and immune function.1
Postoperative Nutritional Support: After surgery, the program includes products that support protein metabolism and enhance immune response, which are crucial for wound healing and recovery.
OrthoBundle program involves the use of two specialized medical food products validated by several clinical research studies to minimize muscle loss, enhance wound healing, and improve the patient experience. Patients should begin the program two weeks before surgery and continue for two weeks afterward.2
Enhanced Medical Nutrition (EMN) for the Shoulder, Hip and Knee.
The Enhanced Medical Nutrition (EMN) program provides critical support for recovery from shoulder procedures, such as rotator cuff repair, which addresses torn tendons in the shoulder to restore strength and mobility, labrum repair for shoulder instability and subacromial decompression for impingement. By targeting inflammation reduction and muscle repair, the program enhances healing and accelerates recovery. For athletes or individuals undergoing shoulder procedures, proper nutritional support can aid in regaining full shoulder function and returning to active lifestyles faster.
For the knee, this includes surgeries such as ACL repair, which reconstructs the torn anterior cruciate ligament to restore knee stability, and meniscus surgery, which repairs or removes damaged cartilage to alleviate pain and improve joint function. Other procedures like cartilage repair and plica removal also benefit from EMN, as the program helps optimize muscle repair and healing, essential for preserving knee health and mobility.
In terms of hip surgery, the EMN program is particularly effective in procedures such as hip labrum repair, which mends the cartilage ring stabilizing the hip joint, and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) surgery, which reshapes abnormal hip bones to relieve pain and protect cartilage. Surgeries like hip bursa removal and loose body removal also benefit from EMN's targeted nutritional support, as the program aids in reducing inflammation, promoting tissue healing, and restoring joint function.
Enhanced Medical Nutrition is redefining surgical care through its innovative products, setting new standards for patient preparation and recovery. If you have been scheduled for surgery, consider adopting this nutritional program to help improve your surgical outcome.
AUTHOR: Geoffrey Van Thiel, MD is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine treatments of the hip, knee, and shoulder, with a focus on compassionate cutting edge care. Dr. Van Thiel’s commitment to athletics and an active lifestyle is evident in both his personal belief that activity leads to better health, and his involvement with the Chicago Blackhawks Medical Network, AHL Rockford IceHogs and US National Soccer Teams.
