Nutrition For Soft Tissue Injury - She Runs Eats Performs

Episode 26

full
Published on:

1st Oct 2020

Nutrition For Soft Tissue Injury

Nutrition For Soft Tissue Injury 

As Runners we tend to head out the door without giving injury a second thought. BUT injury can occur so easily, especially soft tissue injury affecting our muscles, tendons and ligaments...and recovery can be slow. So, in this episode we delve into the 3 key phases of soft tissue injury and how nutrition could support speedy repair and recovery so you can get back to your running as quickly as possible.   

Show Notes

(05:36

Defining Soft Tissue and explaining the differences between soft tissue and connective tissue. Also, confirming the importance of both soft and connective tissue in achieving overall muscle power and strength and thinking about soft tissue adaptation and how it differs from muscle adaptation. 

(08:43

Delving into Phase 1 of soft tissue injury and considering the chemical and physiological changes at this time. Thinking about inflammation and how it is experienced (pain, swelling, redness) before moving on to discuss the key nutrients to consider to help prevent chronic inflammation setting in. Nutrients including: calcium, magnesium and proteolytic enzymes. 

(14:09

Considering the female factors linked to soft tissue injury. Thinking about the prevalence in women and the influence of diet and female sex hormones.  

(17:15

Discussing Phase 2 of soft tissue injury linked to repair and recovery before moving on to consider the key nutrients to support the healing process. Key nutrients include: vitamin C, manganese and protein all of which are important raw materials for the synthesis of collagen.  

(26:14

A brief conversation about Phase 3 of soft tissue injury. This is called the wellness and prevention phase so the emphasis is on the layering effect of phases 1 and 2 whilst also introducing specific nutrients in phase 3 to help prevent re-injury and deterioration of soft tissue.  

(30:10

Key Takeaways: 

  1. Remember that soft tissue is made up of muscle, tendons and ligaments and they are all equally important in giving muscle its power and strength. 
  2. Remember there are 3 phases to repair and recovery of soft tissue injury and specific nutrients need to be considered for each phase.  
  3. In phase 1, nutrition is really important in helping prevent chronic inflammation setting in. But, this said, the ACUTE inflammatory cascade is IMPORTANT in the overall keeling process. 
  4. In phase 2 swift introduction of specific nutrients may help minimise scar tissue. This in turn may help reduce the risk of re-injury and/or tissue degeneration. 
  5. Phase 3 nutrition is about building on the nutrition introduced in phases 1 and 2 to attain/maintain tissue health so you can return to your running whilst minimizing the chances of r-injury.   
  6. Lastly, Ladies, remember that we are more prone to injury than men, so consider the nutritional changes YOU may want to introduce to help PREVENT soft tissue injury – prevention is always better than cure!! 

Related Episodes:

Episode 14: Endurance Running and the Immune System

Episode 15: Nutrition To Solve DOMS

Episode 17: Nutrition For Running Injury

Disclaimer:

The suggestions we make during this episode are for guidance and

advice only, and are not a substitute for medical advice or treatment.

If you have any concerns regarding your health, please contact

your healthcare professional for advice as soon as possible.

Aileen Smith and Karen Campbell met at as nutrition students (Institute for Optimum Nutrition, London) and became lifelong friends and nutritional buddies! Both have a love of running and a passion for nutrition, delicious food and healthy living.

Together they host RUNNERS HEALTH HUB. A place for like-minded runners who are looking for simple ways to support running performance, energy, endurance, and general great health.

We are excited to be able to share our expertise, experience and short cuts with you. We hope you'll join us again. If you'd like to know more about us and She Runs Eats Performs please check out our TRAILER.

If you're ready to make learn more about how you may introduce easy nutrition into your running and training plan join our Easy Nutrition For Healthy Runners Online Programme for short videos, recipes, downloads and LIVE training and Q&A.

As a THANK YOU to you as one of our valued listeners, we have a special offer for you use COUPON CODE POD to get 33% discount off the full price which brings the price to £199.

If you’d like help from Karen and Aileen to design a personalised sports nutrition plan for your running - please contact them at hello@runnershealthhub.com

Happy Running!

Aileen and Karen

www.runnershealthhub.com 

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About the Podcast

She Runs Eats Performs
for mid-life female runners of all abilities
Are you confused about the science around nutrition for runners? Listen in to learn about the WHY, HOW, WHAT, and WHEN of eating to fuel your running performance.

We are here to help you translate sports nutritional science, into easy to apply tips and plans, helping you enjoy peak running performance. We focus on the FEMALE FACTORS every mid-life woman needs to know to be a healthy runner.

About your host

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Aileen Smith

Aileen Smith is a UK based Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, host at She Runs Eats Performs podcast, author of EAT TO RUN: Fast Meal Planning and Easy Fuelling for Busy Women (due to publish September 2024).

Aileen discovered the joy and the challenges of being a mid-life recreational runner in her late 40’s.

She helps busy women who want to swap magic bullet advice for real food so they can be in great shape, have high energy (for everything in life), enjoy their running and be injury-free.