There are a number of things you’ll want to do both before and after your knee replacement surgery to help ensure you have the best outcome, and according to new research, monitoring and increasing your vitamin D intake should be included on that list.
According to a new study published in the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), vitamin D may play a critical role in helping to control postoperative pain in postmenopausal women who undergo total knee replacement surgery. For the study, researchers sought to learn more about the effect vitamin D levels had on functional outcomes and postoperative pain in women undergoing knee replacement. After parsing out different risk factors, researchers found that smoking, having an elevated body mass index and vitamin D deficiency were all independent factors associated with an increased likelihood of developing moderate to severe pain after their knee replacement. Those with vitamin D deficiencies were also more likely to have worse functional outcomes following their operation.
Perhaps most notably, it wasn’t just a lack of vitamin D in a person’s diet after surgery that played a role in this pain onset. According to preoperative data, 67.3 percent of postmenopausal women had a vitamin D deficiancy prior to their total knee replacement.
What It Means For Your Knee Surgery
It’s clear that vitamin D helps with a number of bodily functions, and it can help stave off other health issues like osteoarthritis and fractures that can make knee movements more difficult. So if you are even considering knee replacement in the slightest, it is imperative that you ensure you’re getting a healthy amount of vitamin D each day. Although the study only involved postmenopausal women, it’s important that men heed this advice too.
You can increase your vitamin D intake in two easy ways – through your diet and by being outside in the sun. Our bodies can actually manufacture our own vitamin D through certain receptor cells in our skin. When they are exposed to ultraviolet B light from the sun, our bodies actually produce vitamin D3. So for starters, get outside in the sun more often.
As for your diet, you can improve your vitamin D intake by choosing vitamin-rich foods or by taking a daily supplement. Foods with high vitamin D content include fish, mushrooms, cheese, and egg yolks to name a few. Find ways to incorporate more of these foods in your diet, or head to your local pharmacy and pick up some over-the-counter vitamin D supplements. It could make all the difference in your functional outcomes and overall pain levels following your knee replacement operation!
For more information about the role vitamin D plays in helping you have improved outcomes after knee replacement surgery, or to talk to a specialist about your knee discomfort, reach out to Dr. Botero’s office today.
