ACL Recovery
The athlete who has had an ACL tear (or similar injury) may feel upset, confused and overwhelmed about the long road of recovery ahead. If it is an athlete who has been competitive in their sport since early childhood or one who is planning to play collegiately or who has already signed to play collegiately, the pressure can feel even higher and the future even more daunting.
What Taylor has found in her 8+ years working with injured young athletes is that nutrition can often be a key area of confusion after this particular injury. What is an athlete who is used to training 2 to 3 + hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week but who now can only do, what feels to them like, “nothing” supposed to eat? An athlete who is restricted to getting around with crutches and whose only workouts are physical therapy sessions twice a week pieced together with home exercises? Taylor has seen many many athletes who, at their Initial Session, are completely confused as to what to eat to support their recovery and get them prepared to return to sport in about 9 months. And sometimes, as a result, their mental health suffers and they have trouble maintaining muscle and regaining the lost muscle around the knee as their therapy advances (especially if they have resorted to drastically decreasing their intake and / or skipping meals).
Working with Taylor
Athletes who come to work with Taylor after an ACL tear will follow a structured approach to nutrition for recovery. Taylor will make sure the athlete understands and together they will work through:
Key foundational nutrition information
Key nutrients to support optimal recovery
Key nutrients and eating patterns to support muscle maintenance and prevent muscle atrophy (muscle loss)
Building a recovery fueling plan that supports muscle maintenance and healing
Key performance nutrition principles and how to implement them in their training and performance schedule (optional - if they are interested)
Along the way Taylor will also address any concerns that the athlete might bring up about body composition changes because, often times, this is an underlying concern in many athletes even if not initially verbalized.
If you have an athlete or know of an athlete who has undergone ACL recovery and you are interested in working together over the course of the athlete’s recovery, you can reach out by filling out the below form and we can set up a free 20-minute Discovery Call to discuss working together.