Dr. Ken Parsons, Margaret Aslakson and Kathy Metcalfe presented on obesity and injury recovery at the NWM Summit on Obesity. According to their research, over 70% of Americans are either overweight or exceed their ideal Body Mass Index (BMI). Anything from genetics to drug and alcohol use can impact weight, so causation can be difficult to diagnose. Regardless, when a catastrophic injury occurs, obesity can make recovery more difficult – and far more complicated.

Short-Term Dangers

Soon after injury, the body responds by adjusting nutrient use to match nutrient intake – or lack thereof. Lean body mass is lost first, as nitrogen requirements from amino acids are elevated during the body’s early-stage reactions and the body breaks down its own protein stores in order to survive. Paralysis and bed rest contribute to nitrogen loss and a catabolic state in the body within the first seven weeks after acute injury. Thus, early weight loss is an expected side effect of the body’s injured state. Especially for paralyzed tissues, that lost protein mass will be replaced with fat stores once weight gain starts again. In obese bodies, that loss of protein tissues is related to a longer dependency on respirators as required muscles are nitrogen-starved. In these cases, incidents of hyperglycemia occur regularly.

Long-Term Planning

Though a return to pre-trauma weights is not recommended in obese cases, it often occurs. Injured workers may actually exceed pre-injury weight within a relatively short time frame (a year or two, if not less) in cases where catastrophic injury prohibits regular exercise. When this happens, everything from medical equipment (lifts, wheelchairs) to required care (an extra team member to prevent caregiver injury) can compound the costs of workers’ compensation claims over the life of the injured worker.

Making a Change

Obesity complicates both recovery and rehabilitation. It influences in-home care (both the amount and type required), drives the use of special medical equipment and has a significant impact on costs – both in the short and long term.
Intervention by engaged caregivers and medical providers during the early stages of recovery can stop tendencies toward obesity before weight gain becomes a problem. Post-injury, an injured worker is building a new self-image, and during this time, support and psychological care are as important as physical medicine. It’s important to recognize the individual’s environmental influences and empower them to work to make positive changes.

At Paradigm Outcomes, comprehensive care is our priority. We make sure to inform our patients of potential downfalls that can severely affect their safe recovery. You can continue to keep up with current recovery concerns by checking back with the blog or connecting on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.