Diet and nutrition in orthopedics

Nutritious diet and a balanced lifestyle are important to maintain good health. Nutritional status becomes even more important in individuals undergoing small surgical procedures or major surgeries. In individuals undergoing surgeries, nutritional status is an essential determinant of bone health. Despite considerable evidence on significance of nutrition, there exists a substantial percentage of who are malnourished patients with orthopedic diseases and those undergoing orthopedic surgery (Koval et al. 1999; Patterson et al., J Bone Joint Surg Am. 74:251–60, 1992). Moreover, nutritional status and malnutrition incidences may not be recognized by healthcare practitioners. Therefore it is critical that a detailed nutritional assessment be conducted at baseline on all patients undergoing surgery to identify individuals who are at risk or are currently malnourished in order to achieve successful surgical outcomes and enhance patient care.