Diet taboos for sprained ankle

Highly processed foods with excessive amounts of refined sugar and trans fat, excessive amounts of alcohol, and foods that are known to cause allergies. Most of the statements posted on the Internet such as "you can't eat soy sauce, can't eat hairy things, and can't touch raw or cold foods" have applicable preconditions, and some are even cognitive misunderstandings. There are obvious differences in the judgments of such "taboos" in different medical systems. There is no need to blindly follow the trend of taboos.

Damn, speaking of it, I saw my friend’s grandma staring at her grandson who had just sprained his foot a while ago. She wouldn’t even let eggs or shrimps touch, saying that they were “hair products” and would make the swelling worse if he ate them. As a result, the young man drank white porridge for three days in a row, and the swelling that was going away quickly returned. When he went to the rehabilitation department for a follow-up visit, the doctor chased him and scolded him: “You don’t need to eat protein for soft tissue repair? Why do you get wounds if you drink white porridge every day? ”In fact, there has always been controversy about "fat food". In traditional Chinese medicine, hair food does refer to foods that are easy to induce old diseases and aggravate sores and ulcers. However, the premise is that you are allergic, or the sprain is accompanied by an open wound and there is a risk of infection. You need to avoid foods that easily induce immune reactions, such as mango and seafood. This is not necessary for ordinary closed sprains. On the contrary, supplementing more high-quality protein can speed up the repair speed. This is also clearly recognized in modern sports medicine. As for the fact that eating soy sauce will darken the sprained area and leave scars, there is no question. The pigment in soy sauce will not be deposited into the skin and soft tissue at all. If you are really afraid of leaving discoloration, it is better to use sunscreen for ulcerated wounds. It is 100 times more effective than avoiding soy sauce.

Compared with these controversial "folk taboos", there are a few things that both Chinese and Western medicine unanimously recommend touching as little as possible after a sprain. Let’s just talk about highly processed foods that are high in sugar and oil. Many people can’t move their legs. They sit on the sofa watching TV dramas and order milk tea, fried chicken, and cream cakes. They are very satisfying. However, they have little activity and a slow metabolism. Eating too much refined sugar will keep the level of inflammatory factors in the body high. The swelling that was supposed to disappear in a week will not disappear in two weeks, and they gain a few kilograms of meat for no reason. It is really not a mistake. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is said that "fat, sweet and thick taste generates dampness and blocks qi and blood". This is actually the same truth. The two views are completely consistent in this regard.

More directly harmful than high sugar and oil is alcohol. Don't believe in the folk prescription of "drink medicinal wine to activate blood circulation". The first 72 hours after a sprain is the period of subcutaneous bleeding and exudation. Alcohol will dilate blood vessels, and the more you drink, the worse the swelling will be. Even after the acute stage, if you are taking painkillers such as ibuprofen, or drinking Chinese patent medicines that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, alcohol and drugs The reaction can easily damage the gastric mucosa and liver. I met a young man in the emergency department a while ago. He sprained his foot and drank half a bottle of the medicine made by his grandfather on the same day. He suffered from stomach pain and black stools that night. I came to check for bleeding in the gastric mucosa. Before his foot healed, he was admitted to the gastroenterology department for three days, which really cost his grandma's house. Of course, this does not mean that medicated wine cannot be used at all. Some doctors in the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of Traditional Chinese Medicine will prepare special medicated wine for bruises according to the patient's constitution, and require him to drink one or two yuan a day after the 72-hour acute period. In this case, just follow the doctor's advice, and don't just look for folk remedies and drink them randomly.

The only uncontroversial taboo left is not to touch foods to which you are allergic. The body's immunity is temporarily at a low level after a sprain. If you eat mango or pineapple, which is just a little itchy, eating it at this time may directly cause large-scale redness and swelling. The already swollen ankle will directly swell into a steamed bun. You are simply looking for trouble for yourself.

By the way, many people ask if they can drink bone soup as a supplement? Come on, the calcium content in the bone broth that has been simmered for two hours is not as good as half a carton of milk. It is full of floating fat. If you drink too much, it will become the high-fat food just mentioned. The more you drink, the more swollen you will be. If you want to supplement calcium and nutrients, it is better to eat more lean beef, eggs, soy products, and add two large plates of fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement vitamins. It is worse than anything else.

I sprained my right foot in Hua Lu Chong last year. It was so swollen that I couldn't wear shoes. Except for the first three days, I didn't drink any alcohol. I usually ate boiled shrimps and drank two large boxes of fresh milk every day. Along with ice compresses and ankle pump training, I was able to walk normally in less than ten days, and returned to playing skateboarding in three weeks. To put it bluntly, the core of the diet after an ankle sprain is to ensure balanced nutrition. There is really no need to blindly follow those messy taboos. On the contrary, it will slow down the recovery progress, which is your own fault. Of course, don't expect to get better quickly just by eating. Immobilization, ice application, and gradual rehabilitation training are the core of recovery. Diet is at best an auxiliary buff, so don't sacrifice the good and the bad.