As physical therapists, our primary goal is to help each of our patients recover from any injury and/or pain that may be limiting their abilities, and to help them avoid additional injuries in the future. The main ways we accomplish this are through exercise and movement-based strategies that reduce pain while increasing strength and flexibility, but we also believe that what you put into your body will have a major impact on how well it moves. This is why our Laurel physical therapists consider nutrition to play a significant part in the course of treatment, and why we strongly urge each of our patients to follow a healthy diet plan to help them experience a successful outcome.

In general, having a well balanced, nutritious diet is essential for achieving and maintaining optimal health. More specifically, nutrition and diet are key components of many conditions that are managed by physical therapists, because they can directly affect a patient’s recovery and function while adhering to a treatment program. Many physical therapists therefore take a vested interest in this aspect of patient care, since it can either positively or negatively impact their chances of recovering properly.

As such, the role of physical therapists is to screen for and provide information on diet and nutritional issues as they relate to patient care. The scope of the recommendations provided by physical therapists is limited because it is not our specialty, but we can offer general nutritional guidelines that are beneficial to all individuals. Our Laurel physical therapists recommend the following tips for a well-balanced diet to supplement your treatment program:

Healthy eating tips from our Laurel physical therapists

• Balance calories: find out how many calories you need each day—you can use an online calculator to determine this—and do your best to stick to that amount daily
• Eat smaller meals more often: it’s fine to eat more than three meals a day, so long as they are portioned out properly and you’re not filling up every time; a few small meals throughout the day is much better than two or three massive meals
• Take your time: chew your food properly and don’t rush through meals
• Focus on healthy choices: eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which all have nutrients that are necessary for maintaining optimal health
• Make fruits and veggies half your plate: all are healthy, but try to especially focus on eating lots of red, orange and dark green leafy vegetables
• Favor whole grains: substitute these for refined products whenever possible
• Avoid foods high in trans fats, added sugars and salt: check the labels on anything in a box and save foods high in these for occasional treats, not everyday items
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks: don’t waste empty calories on drinks
• Eat certain types of fish: try to eat fish with high omega-3 fatty acids (e.g. salmon, mackerel, sardines, halibut and cod) about 2-3 times each week
• Exercise regularly: shoot to get 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise every week

Sticking to a healthy diet will certainly increase your chances of having a successful recovery, but it shouldn’t only be followed for this reason. Eating right is at the core of good health, and if it’s something that you struggle with, we recommend seeing a nutritional consultant or dietician for additional help outside of the general guidelines provided here. But for any lingering aches, pains or injuries you might be experiencing that won’t seem to improve, we strongly advise seeing our Laurel physical therapists for an evaluation. Contact CAM Physical Therapy and Wellness Services at 301-776-9443 to schedule an appointment at any of our three clinics in Laurel, or Glenn Dale/Bowie or Hyattsville, or click here for more information on healthy eating.