Malnutrition in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Review of the Current Literature

Authors

Jihoon T Choi
Brandon Yoshida
Omid Jalali
George F Hatch

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Journal

Sports Health

DOI

10.1177/1941738120926168

PMID

32639180

PMCID

PMC7734368

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

7-8-2020

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency, Athletic Injuries, Athletic Performance, Dietary Supplements, Humans, Malnutrition, Nutrients, Orthopedic Procedures, Postoperative Complications, Vitamin D Deficiency, malnutrition, sports medicine, surgical management, athletic performance

Abstract

CONTEXT: Malnutrition is well-studied in various aspects of the orthopaedic literature, most commonly in relation to arthroplasty, spine surgery, and trauma. However, the management of nutritional deficiencies is commonly overlooked among orthopaedic sports medicine providers. The purpose of this article is to analyze the available sports medicine literature to review the associations between malnutrition and the management of orthopaedic sports medicine patients from a treatment and performance standpoint.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: PubMed was searched for relevant articles published from 1979 to 2019.

STUDY DESIGN: Clinical review.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.

RESULTS: Few studies exist on the implications of macronutrient deficiencies specific to orthopaedic sports medicine procedures. Interestingly, micronutrient disorders-namely, hypovitaminosis D and iron deficiency-have been well studied and may lead to worse postoperative outcomes, injury rates, and athletic performance. Nutritional supplementation to correct such deficiencies has been shown to mitigate these effects, though further study is required.

CONCLUSION: Nutritional deficiencies are highly prevalent in orthopaedic sports medicine patients, and practitioners should be aware of their potential effects on treatment and performance outcomes. Management of such deficiencies and their effect on surgical patients remain an area of potential future research. Future studies are warranted in order to explore the potential therapeutic role of nutritional supplementation to prevent complications after common orthopaedic sports medicine procedures, improve athletic performance, and reduce injury rates.