Blog - Specialist Nutrition Rehab

Blog

23 Jun 2021

Muscle-targeted nutrition therapy in rehab

  Loss of muscle mass (for any reason) can lead to physical disability, reduced independence, increased risk of falls and poor quality of life. After a major trauma, loss of muscle mass is usually a consequence of muscle disuse, inflammation and/or inadequate nutrition.   This loss of muscle can be classified in two main ways: […]
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26 May 2021

Gadgets, tips and tricks – reduce portion sizes and increase fluid intake

After a brain injury, spinal cord injury or complex orthopaedic trauma, body composition and calorie requirements often change and many clients end up gaining significant amounts of weight later in their recovery.1, 2  This weight gain occurs for the following reasons: Reduced muscle mass and reduced metabolic rate.  This is a result of the inflammation, […]
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28 Apr 2021

Vitamin & mineral supplements – top picks

  The majority of clients that I see in the community after a major trauma, are not getting sufficient levels of vitamins and minerals from their food intake in order to meet their minimum requirements.  This is because many clients consume very few vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes and whole grains. Food is always the best […]
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24 Mar 2021

New ways to manage diabetes (without finger pricks!)

  Checking blood glucose levels using the traditional finger prick method, can be an uncomfortable and cumbersome part of having diabetes.  Fortunately, the newest continuous glucose monitoring systems allow people to check blood glucose levels quickly, easily and pain-free by wearing a sensor on the body.  These sensors are worn continuously for 10-14 days and […]
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24 Feb 2021

Medication-induced weight gain

  Many clients gain significant amounts of weight after a catastrophic injury, particularly a brain injury or spinal cord injury. 1, 2  There are many reasons for this, including reduced levels of physical activity and/or changes to body composition which result in a reduced metabolic rate.  Both of these situations cause a person to burn […]
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27 Jan 2021

Bladder stones, catheters, spinal cord injuries…and diet

  Bladder stones (also called bladder calculi or urolithiasis) and other types of bladder problems, are common after spinal cord injury.  Thirty-six percent of patients with indwelling catheters have been found to develop bladder stones within 8 years and this can lead to catheter blockages and/or autonomic dysreflexia.1   There are four main causes of […]
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25 Nov 2020

Save money on food

  People spend an average of £38.50 per person per week on food (consumed both at home and away from home).1   COVID-19 has had a massive impact on people’s income over the last several months and as a result, I have been receiving more queries on how to eat a nutritious diet while on a […]
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29 Oct 2020

Nonunion, orthopaedic injuries….and nutrition

  Nonunion, referring to a broken bone which shows no evidence of healing within a specific time frame, is a massive deterrent to rehab and recovery after a complex orthopaedic trauma.  There are several contributing factors to nonunion, such as infection, poor blood supply, the type of fracture (eg. open fractures) and the energy force […]
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24 Sep 2020

Diet & Pain – a surprising connection

  When people have chronic pain after a catastrophic injury, the most common pain-management solutions tend to be pharmaceutical pain relief (such as NSAIDS, opioids, antiseizure, and/or anti-spasticity medication), medicinal cannabis, botox injections and/or psychological treatments (eg. biofeedback, cognitive behaviour therapy).(1, 2) However, a growing body of research is showing a strong link between what […]
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26 Aug 2020

Slow healing wounds? Consider nutrition!

  If you have a client with a Grade 3 or Grade 4 pressure sore and/or other wound which is slow to heal, have they ever been reviewed by a dietitian? This may sound like an unusual or surprising suggestion, but there is a massive link between someone’s nutritional status and their body’s ability to […]
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