Patrick DenardDirector Oregon Shoulder Fellowship, Oregon Shoulder Institute · Director Oregon Shoulder Fellowship at Oregon Shoulder Institute

Nutrition and Shoulder Surgery #rotatorcuffinjury #medicaldoctor #shouldersurgeon #shoulder

20 Feb 2025 · 1 min

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In this segment, a shoulder surgeon stresses that nutrition is often overlooked in surgical care. He advises patients to increase protein intake for a few weeks before surgery and continue elevated protein consumption for up to three months after the operation to support tissue healing. He also recommends a carbohydrate load the night before surgery to mitigate the metabolic stress caused by the typical 16‑18 hour pre‑operative fast. The speaker explains that prolonged fasting can lead to adverse metabolic consequences during the stressful surgical event, underscoring the need for adequate energy provision.

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The big one that I think surgeons really, really miss the boat on in many cases is nutrition. So it's really important that we have higher protein intake prior to surgery. I recommend a couple of weeks, but certainly afterwards up to 3 months. In addition with this, there's a benefit of having a carbohydrate load the night prior to surgery. The data shows, for instance, that individuals who undergo surgery are going through a long period where they're essentially starved. And again, surgery is a stressful event. You have a need for energy. So if you're not eating for 16, 18 hours prior to surgery, you actually have metabolic consequences.