What to do if a fracture patient has constipation

Fracture is a common disease in life. The treatment method will be different depending on the location of the fracture, and the impact on people will also be different. Once a serious fracture occurs, the patient often needs to stay in bed for a long time. Long-term bed rest can easily lead to some complications, such as constipation, bedsores, etc. Once constipation occurs, the patient should first pay attention to diet. If the condition is serious, treatment must be carried out under the guidance of a doctor.

What to do if a fracture patient has constipation

Constipation is a common symptom of digestive system diseases, which refers to reduced frequency of bowel movements and dry and difficult stools caused by various reasons. Generally, constipation occurs when you have bowel movements less than 2-3 times a week (food residues cannot be excreted within 48 hours) or once a day but feel that the bowel movement is difficult, clean, or not smooth.

Patients with constipation need to adopt comprehensive treatment according to the severity, cause and type of constipation, including general lifestyle treatment, drug treatment, biofeedback training and surgical treatment to restore normal bowel movement physiology. Pay attention to lifestyle treatment, strengthen education for patients, adopt reasonable eating habits, such as increasing dietary fiber content, increasing water intake to strengthen stimulation to the colon, and develop good bowel habits, such as defecating in the morning, defecating as soon as you feel the urge, avoiding straining during defecation, and increasing activity. During treatment, attention should be paid to clearing excess feces in the distal rectum; a positive adjustment of the mentality is required, which are extremely important for obtaining effective treatment.

What should patients with fractures eat?

1. High energy and high protein

First of all, you should supplement high-energy and high-protein foods to restore your vitality before doing anything else. Only when your vitality is restored can you better carry out health care and rehabilitation. However, it does not mean that you should eat high-energy, high-protein foods immediately after discovering a fracture. The patient will not be able to absorb them immediately and it will increase the burden on the body. It is best to eat them 2 weeks after the fracture. In the early stages of a fracture, a light diet should be adopted, which will make it easier for the patient to recover.

Of course, there are many high-energy and high-protein foods mentioned here. Chicken, fish, and bone soup are the most classic. Chicken and fish can be stewed or made into soup. They are delicious and nutritious. Patients can eat more of them two weeks after a fracture.

2. Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone formation and is an indispensable component for fracture recovery. Under normal circumstances, most people do not lack vitamin D. However, if you stay indoors after a fracture and cannot get sunlight all day, it is easy to lack vitamin D. Therefore, after a fracture, you should eat more foods rich in vitamin D. Fish is rich in vitamin D, and you can also eat more animal liver and egg yolks. It should be noted that eating more of these foods does not necessarily mean that you can supplement vitamin D. Getting as much sun as possible during daily rest is beneficial to the absorption of vitamin D.

3. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also an important factor in bone formation. Patients with fractures should eat more foods rich in vitamin C to facilitate recovery. There are so many foods rich in vitamin C that I won’t list them all here. Most of the common fruits and vegetables in daily life contain vitamin C. It is right to eat more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Don’t just eat one kind. Change them every day to ensure a balanced nutrition and make it easier to recover.

4. Water

A healthy diet usually requires drinking plenty of water. Patients with fractures should pay special attention to drinking plenty of water because they sit for a long time and cannot move, which makes them prone to constipation. Drinking plenty of water can ensure smooth intestinal circulation and prevent constipation.