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We all reach for something sweet when stressed, and a motor vehicle accident (MVA) brings plenty of stress. Take a moment and consider that candy bar or soda, it feels comforting in the moment, but later will quietly wreak havoc on healing. Excessive sugar is a disaster that can extend trauma from the accident. At Chambers Medical Group, one of the highest rated car accident medical doctor care programs in Kentucky, we strive to get you back to daily activities as quickly as possible. This road to recovery can be easier to travel with the right directions. Managing sugar levels can be one of those turns you do not want to miss. Dr. Aaron Workman of Chambers Medical Group, discusses five different ways too much sugar is a roadblock in recovery.
- Systemic Inflammation
When you eat a lot of sugar, your blood sugar levels spike. This causes your body to release chemicals called cytokines, which are the same chemicals that cause inflammation after an injury. One meal high in sugar can increase these inflammatory components for hours. For someone who is already recovering from whiplash or a soft-tissue injury, this is like pouring gasoline on a fire making inflammation and pain worse.
- Slows Collagen Repair
Collagen is a key protein your body uses to rebuild injured tissues like ligaments, tendons, and skin after an accident. When you eat too much sugar, those sweet molecules stick to your collagen fibers. This makes the collagen stiff, brittle, and less effective. The damage interferes with the healing process, reducing the strength and flexibility of new tissue. It slows recovery, potentially turning what might have been a six-week recovery into a longer ordeal.
- Weakens Immune Response
White blood cells, which the body needs for its immune system, needs vitamin C to fight infections and clear damaged tissues. Sugar and vitamin C use the same door to get inside cells. High sugar intake can flood these doors and directly compete with vitamin C absorption. This clogs up the entryway and suppresses your immune system for hours on end when you need it most.
- Increases Pain Sensitivity
Sugar may make you feel better on short term, but the crash afterwards can increase pain sensitivity. High sugar intake can lead to a feeling of hypersensitivity and discomfort. People who have reduced or eliminated sugar from their diets have sometimes reported a decrease in feelings of discomfort within a few weeks.
- Promotes Weight Gain and Joint Stress
Reduced activity levels after an MVA, combined with eating sugary foods for comfort, can lead to an increase in weight quickly. Extra body weight can put more pressure on joints, especially if you have injured your knees or lower back. This added pressure can make current injuries worse, causing problems that were not noticeable before and keeping inflammation active, slowing down healing.
Recovering from an MVA can take months and every little tweak to your daily life can help you heal faster. Start reading your food labels and ingredients, as some of our favorite daily items contain a huge amount of hidden sugar. Make simple swaps like choosing water with lemon over soda, eating whole fruit instead of drinking juice, and satisfy that sweet craving by having a small piece of dark chocolate. Healing is a time-consuming bitter challenge, so do not let sugar make it harder.
— This article is written by Aaron Workman, DC, one of the members of Chambers Medical Group’s team of car accident chiropractors who offer a variety of treatments and therapies ranging from diagnostic testing to various soft tissue therapies for car accidents and injuries in Kentucky.
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