RECOVERY & REHABILITATION
Improving rehabilitation outcomes… IS FOOD AND NUTRITION THE MISSING LINK? Sheri is the Director of Specialist Nutrition Rehab and a Specialist Rehab Dietitian. Sheri leads a team of dietitians who provide comprehensive and cuttingedge medical nutrition therapy in the community for clients after a brain injury, spinal cord injury or orthopaedic injury.
H
ow many of your clients have seen a dietitian since their initial hospitalisation? When someone is recovering from a brain injury or spinal cord injury, nutrition is not usually the first Sheri therapy to come to mind. However, eating habits and weight can have a massive impact on recovery, rehab potential and even the energy levels needed to engage with physio, neuropsychology and other forms of therapy.
dehydration, all of which can prevent the client from achieving their rehab goals.
TOP 7 NUTRITIONAL CHALLENGES FACED BY CLIENTS AFTER A BRAIN INJURY OR SPINAL CORD INJURY:
1.
Weight and body composition
High levels of inflammation from the trauma, combined with insufficient calories or protein and reduced mobility, means many clients lose significant amounts of muscle mass in the first 3-6 months after their injury. As muscle mass is what burns the calories, clients then HERE’S WHY NUTRITION IS IMPORTANT… end up with calorie requirements as much as 50% lower than Think of your body like a house with a 24-7 live in their pre-injury levels. Many clients struggle to adjust to this renovation team. Anytime there is and many end up gaining significant After someone has a dent or something breaks down, amounts of weight in the years that your renovation team is there experienced a brain injury or follow. This not only affects their repairing the damage as quickly support package (eg. Do they need two spinal cord injury, their body support workers to transfer or one), but as possible. After someone has experienced a brain injury or spinal also whether they need standard grade (or “house” in this analogy) cord injury, their body (or “house” or bariatric equipment. It also increases has been through the in this analogy) has been through their risk of developing type 2 diabetes equivalent of a hurricane. the equivalent of a hurricane. and cardiovascular disease. There is cosmetic damage, structural damage and damage inside the “house.” As you GUT ISSUES can well imagine, the quality of the repair job that their Abdominal pain and constipation are incredibly renovation team is going to be able to do, will be highly common after a major trauma. Nerve function to contingent on the building materials that the client makes the gut can be impaired and clients are often prescribed available to them. Are your clients consuming a diet high pain medication which contributes to constipation. in vegetables, fruit, protein, healthy fats and calcium-rich Combine this with a low fibre diet and inadequate fluid, foods? As these are the nutritional equivalent of highand clients can end up extremely constipated and on quality building materials like brick, marble and high-quality multiple laxatives. Abdominal pain often comes from the paint. They provide key building blocks and materials which constipation itself, the laxatives and/or Irritable Bowel will help repair damage within the body. Syndrome (which often develops after a major stress or Sadly, due to pain, fatigue and other issues, many clients trauma). This pain can prevent clients from engaging in other forms of physical therapy. end up consuming diets high in processed foods. These foods provide inadequate levels of the necessary building FATIGUE materials, such as protein, vitamins and minerals, needed While many clients after a brain injury may to repair the damage. The consequence of this can be experience neuro-fatigue, all clients should have the the development of nutrient deficiencies (such as iron following blood tests completed to make sure that other or vitamin D deficiency), reduced muscle mass and even
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