I’ve shared with you my plan for coming back from my femoral stress fracture, but a big part I left out of that was the vitamins and supplements I take on a regular basis.
Most of these supplements I took prior to my stress fracture, but a few of them I have added in.
This post took me a bit to type up, so I apologize in advance if it is long winded and a bit too much information
Several years ago my husband was injured with a sacral stress fracture, he went on a rampage of looking up all the different vitamins and supplements that could help with bone health. We probably have more vitamins than we know what to do with at this point, but if it isn’t going to hurt me I am more than willing to give it a try!
I divide my supplementation up into 4 times per day.
Morning (Breakfast)
The main purpose of Turmeric for me is that it is a natural way to reduce inflammation. It has been shown in many studies that taking Ibuprofen can delay bone repair and hinder healing. This is a natural way for me to be able to take an anti-inflammatory.
I actually take one Turmeric in the morning and afternoon.
Calcium obviously helps to keep your bones strong and healthy and is vital during an injury time to aid in bone repair.
Magnesium just like Calcium is a mineral that is stored in bones. Any supplement (calcium or magnesium) that is found in bones is important to make sure you are getting to aid in bone repair. Magnesium also helps your body absorb calcium, therefor, if you are deficient in magnesium it can hinder the absorption process of calcium into your bones.
Zinc unlike the other two is not stored in the body, and must be replenished through food or supplementation daily. Zinc helps to boost your immune system and help your body in recovery.
Soy is a very important supplement for women. It has been found that soy can actually help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in women.
There are also many other benefits from soy to women: help lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of breast cancer, treat type 2 diabetes, and help to aid in estrogen production.
It is important to note that all this is not entirely proven. There have been many research studies done, but some of them do contradict. My view on this is that I am taking “a shot gun approach” at this. If it can in any way help to improve the healing process (big or small) then I am willing to give it a chance.
Afternoon (Lunch)
In the afternoon I take a calcium citrate and magnesium supplement.
The benefit of calcium citrate is that it is often better for those who have a sensitive stomach. Calcium citrate is easily absorbed by the stomach with or without food. I sometimes can have a weaker stomach, so I like to use calcium citrate during the day. It is absorbed and used exactly the same as any other type of calcium supplement.
As I mentioned previously, I take magnesium along side calcium to help aid in absorption. It is very important that you are not deficient in magnesium or it will be impossible to obtain adequate calcium absorption.
Evening (Dinner)
I take my final calcium at dinner time.
We all are well aware that folic acid is very important for those who are pregnant or looking to get pregnant in the near future (lets just say I have a couple years to go there), but it can also help your bones. It has been found in studies that increased levels of the amino acid homocysteine significantly increase the risk of bone fracture. B Vitamins (including folic acid) are shown to decrease the levels of this homocysteine in the body.
I don’t think I have to go into too much detail here, but a multivitamin should be included in any supplement regiment simply to help you get any vitamins or minerals you may be lacking in your diet.
Vitamin D is just as important to bone health as calcium. Vitamin D can be obtained naturally through the sunlight, but if you live in a place that has a lot of cloudy cold days like I do, supplementation is a must. Vitamin D (without going into a long an drawn out explanation) helps to regulate the concentration of calcium and phosphate in the blood which in return helps promote growth and healthy remodeling of bone.
Night (Right Before Bed)
There have been several studies that have shown a direct link between iron and bone density. Bone density continues even after you stop growing up until age 30. After that, your bodies ability to absorb calcium decreases. It is important to keep your bone density up and take care of your bones.
Iron also has many other benefits such as: muscle function, brain function, helps carry oxygen through your blood stream, and an iron deficiency can cause anemia which can greatly weaken the body.
I have talked about Fish Oil previously on my blog, but I take one every night to help aid in recovery AND it has also been found to aid in improving your bone health and bone density.
Well if you made it this far, thank you!
As I mentioned earlier I am taking a “shot gun approach” when it comes to supplementation. Making sure your body gets the right nutrients is important for everyone. My thought is if in any way these can help make my bones, body, and overall health stronger then I can’t lose.
Of course, the best way to get a lot of these is through a healthy and balanced diet. There are some of these that I fully get through my diet, but to always be safe I make sure to supplement during this time of healing regardless of my diet for the day.
What are some of your daily supplements?
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I take a multivitamin, probiotic, and vit d (all comes in a pack from this Pure North thing), I also take magnesium, B6/B12, and sometimes glucosamine. In this pack it has a fish oil in it, but I seriously break out in the biggest monstrous hurting pimples from it, so I react to it. It sucks as I know it has major good benefits to it, but I like my skin kind of smooth!
Hmmm I have never had a skin reaction from fish oil, but I know my husband doesn’t like to take it because it does weird things to his stomach. Sounds like you have a good vitamin regiment already!
There are people who are allergic fish!!
Yes this is true.
I just take a multivitamin. Just in case I don’t get everything I need that day through what I eat. Always better to be safe than sorry. Good luck in your recovery.
Yep I am the same way – I just take the vitamin to make sure I didn’t miss anything from my diet. Thank you 🙂
My vitamin regimen is pretty intense too. Prenatal vitamin (it’s my current multi), fish oil, calcium, biotin, selenium, B complex, alpha lipoic acid and D. I have a fairly decent diet, but after struggling through recovery with disordered eating and taking medication I wanted to ensure I become healthy.
I think it is great that you are taking the precautions and making sure you are getting all the vitamins you need! In a way I am doing the same things, even though I might be getting a lot of these from my diet, too much of most of the vitamins (excluding iron) is not bad for you. If your body can’t use it, it is just going to excrete it anyways. Sounds like you have a great vitamin regimen there! 🙂
Looks like you’ve got your bases covered and are doing everything you can to get back to healthy ASAP! Just two questions: 1) Why do you take the multi at night? I’ve never read anything about timing on a multi, and have always just taken mine in the morning without thinking, so just wondering if you have a reason to take it at night. 2) Do your Calcium supplements contain Vitamin D? Everything I’ve read always indicates that the body needs a little bit of Vitamin D to be able to absorb Calcium (that’s why milk is often fortified with Vitamin D). May be worth adding in if it’s not already included in your capsules! I take a bunch of random things, too – I’ve been wanting to do a post just like yours! And I’ve been experimenting with amino acids (including Glutamine as suggested by you!) recently – I kinda think they’re helping, but just not sure yet!
Hey Megan!
1) I don’t really know why I take it at night. When I was working full time I often just took my vitamins at dinner time because it was easier to remember than trying to add something else to my morning routine, and well I guess it just kind of stuck. I have added a lot of the other vitamins since I have been injured, so I guess the multivitamin at dinner just kind of stuck.
2) I will have to look into that. I do take a Vitamin D supplement in the evening, but maybe I should look into taking it in the morning as well! Will definitely have to do some research on this – thanks for pointing it out!!
Hope your vitamins are helping! I love glutamine and still take it even while I am injured! I really think it will help you in the long run! 🙂
It was amazing to find out some years ago that ibuprofen and aspirin were actually BAD for your recovery … because as most studies note it is a go-to solution for so much pain and inflammation.
I think that in general you are taking the right approach – working on all systems that will impact the overall healing of bones (which also means working on blood and all of THOSE supporting systems).
My whole concern is always with taking supplements in general. Many studies have shown that a good diet should need no supplements unless you are intolerant of certain things. So my first though when seeking certain things – like natural anti-inflammatories – is to go for kale and berries and flaxseed oil and so on …
I hope that this focus helps speed your recovery! Remember to take it slow … patience is the hardest thing!
Yes I am hoping that a majority of these vitamins and supplements are coming from my diet. In fact, I am 90% sure most of them are. HOWEVER, since I am still in the recovery period I am basically just taking everything I can that can aid in bone health and strength.
I am definitely learning patience through all of this that is for sure! Some days are easier than others, but I am having to learn how to live life one day at a time and not look ahead too far. Focusing on the present allows me to not wish away time and it keeps me focused on what is important. If nothing else I hope that even once I have this injury behind me I can continue to focus on that.
Happy Belated Birthday to your wife!!
haha we are two peas. I literally posted today what vitamin supplements I take. I’m glad you shared too though, i’m always curious to see what runner’s are taking. Good luck with the recovery Sara!
http://shesgoingthedistance.com/2013/09/30/vitamins-what-i-take/
Haha great minds things a like! Read your post – looks GREAT!
Thank you for the encouragement 🙂
I don’t take any! I even ditched my daily vitamin – I’m not convinced it was actually doing anything for me. I did take calcium when I had a broken ankle, though. My new fear is the build up in calcium around the heart may or may not be related to taking calcium supplements. I need the scientific community to publish more studies!
Do you notice a difference in your body when you take these supplements?
It could be all mental, but yes I do notice a difference when I take my vitamins! I feel stronger and I feel like I am able to focus better as well. There are days where I have missed my vitamins and I feel like my body does not perform as well.
That is an interesting comment! I may have to look up and read a bit more on that, but I do know my bones right now need plenty of calcium and vitamin D. When I have recovered a lot of these will back off and I will go back to my more normal vitamin regiment.
Sara – that is why I mentioned diet-based vitamin intake. Like so many other things, when I was growing up there was the mentality that you ‘couldn’t overdo anything natural’. But things like Vitamin C, sodium, potassium, calcium and so on can all build up in your blood and end up dumped places where they CAN do bad things.
Of course, I really don’t know the quantities at which they cause issues and how the progression works … and I know that in a healing body things are different than in a ‘normal’ body … which basically means there is much more I DON’T know than what I do! 🙂
I take a vegan multivitamin each day!