Best Supplements After Knee Surgery

Evidence based nutrition for strong knees

Author

Zak Woodward
October 14, 2023

So I'm not one to talk about supplements too much. I prefer to focus on the big rocks: good training, nutrition, and sleep. If you do those 3 things well, most other things tend to fall into place.

There is, however, one supplement protocol I strongly recommend to all my athletes coming back from knee injuries (once we make sure those other 3 things are dialed in). This protocol has strong research behind it as well as impressive results when used in the field.

I call this protocol:

The Joint Recovery Stack

This protocol utilizes 3 different supplements whose unique benefits combine to supercharge your recovery when combined with a quality strength training protocol.

First on the list is Collagen. Collagen peptides are the actual building blocks of your joints, tendons, and ligaments. It’s literally the stuff they're made out of. Supplementing with between 5-15g of collagen per day was shown to reduce joint pain and inflammation, improve collagen protein synthesis, and even slightly improve muscle recovery (1). This effect was greatly increased when combined with a resistance training protocol.

Other studies have found collagen supplementation to aid in tendon regeneration after a tendinopathy (degradation of the tendon) in both the Achilles and patellar tendons when combined with specific strength training protocols (2).

Even improvements in joint stability after an ankle sprain have been seen when adding collagen supplementation to a rehab protocol (3). This is significant because ankle sprains tend to linger for long periods of time and never fully heal because of the nature of ligaments and the way they don't receive much (if any) blood supply from the body. Anything extra we can do to improve that recovery process even a small amount can have a big impact on overall longevity and an athlete's ability to return to sport.

Ligaments do not have much, if any direct blood supply. The way they receive nutrition is by absorbing it from the fluid around them. By loading this fluid with the maximal amount of nutrients prior to exercise, these tissues are primed to use it most effectively when stimulated with an appropriate training protocol.

This can greatly improve the recovery process by speeding up healing of everything from fractured bones, open wounds, damaged tendons, to even repaired ligaments (6).

The second supplement on our list may be a bit more surprising but is actually Vitamin C. Research is suggesting that high-dose Vitamin C (150-200mg/kg) can help improve healing rates of bone fractures, tendon injuries, and even cruciate ligament reconstructions (4).

This supplement appears to be most effective when combined with collagen and taken 30 - 60 minutes prior to a rehab or workout session. This combination is even more potent for increasing collagen protein synthesis after a training session and improving recovery times (5).

This is exactly how I recommend all my athletes use these two supplements:

5 - 15g of collagen mixed with 1000 - 2000mg of Vitamin C taken 1 hour before training.

This can help dramatically reduce joint pain and inflammation and improve rates of recovery.

Lastly I like to include a quality fish oil supplement to round out the group (quality is very important here as most fish oil supplements are rancid and a waste of money).

Fish oil, while not having direct effects on joint or ligament health, does have general anti-inflammatory properties which are great for general health, but particularly coming off of an ACL or other knee surgery.

What I'm most excited about and the reason I am just writing about this topic now is because all three of these supplements are available in one convenient bundle from Designs For Sport that is finally finally finally back in stock.

Yes there are tons of other brands out there that make collagen and the like but Designs For Sport is genuinely the only brand I use personally and recommend to my friends, family, and clients.

They have real, quality ingredients and are used by multiple organizations in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA, Premier League, and many more because they have safe, quality ingredients and comply with all doping and drug-testing requirements.

This is the only supplement company I've ever had an affiliation reason because of their quality and track record. If you want to try this supplement bundle for yourself it's called THE ATHLETE STACK and if you use code ATP10 you can get 10% off at checkout.

This is a subject that really doesn't get mentioned enough in the conversation around ACL rehab and return to sport but can be a very powerful tool in your journey of recovery.

When combined with a quality strength training plan it can enhance the effectiveness of everything you do in the gym.

It's a really big low hanging fruit that takes no additional work that I really recommend to all of my clients particularly those who want to do everything possible to enhance their recovery and come back the best version of themselves.

If you are looking for help with that process check out my training application below to start a conversation.

If you found this article interesting then please share it with a friend who could benefit from this information.

As always you can find me on Instagram @zakwoodwardatp if you want to connect or drop me a message.

Otherwise I'll see you in next week's newsletter.

Until then, bye ✌🏼

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