3 Secrets you MUST KNOW to AVOID FRACTURE COMPLICATIONS AFTER SURGERY

This situation may occur even in the most skilled surgeon's care. Most of these problems can be avoided with 3 very important factors to be considered:

1) REMAIN NON WEIGHT BEARING
When the doctor tells you that you are not supposed to place your foot on the ground, that is NON NEGOTIABLE. Most patients will be in some form of a cast, which they believe will absorb all the forces when they are resting the foot on the floor. This is partially correct. Non weight bearing means that you must think of an antigravity chamber. This is where the foot does not touch the ground under any circumstances. If you are really efficient at this, a nonunion is much less likely to occur. Your bone will take less time to heal, and the position and fixation used will be less likely to fail. This includes keeping the area free of water, as this could also lead to infections.

2) VITAMIN D
Most patients who I see here are not even aware they have a vitamin D deficiency. If a nonunion occurs, we often will obtain blood-work to assure there are no further metabolic conditions which may preclude healing of bone. Most often we will have our patients on a vitamin D/ Calcium supplement to prevent this and enhance the healing. So if we tell you that you need Coral Calcium, we are only enhancing your chances to heal without complications.

3) PROTEIN
Often times, even in the most obese patients, we will see varying degrees of protein insufficiency. This can be troublesome, as most people attribute calcium as the most important supplement for bone healing. More studies are showing the importance of a balanced diet which includes high sources of protein, such as soy beans, chicken, and fish as keys towards normal bone healing metabolism. Protein shakes, bars, and natural sources in the diet will enhance bone healing.


- DR TIMM