Energy balance
Low energy availability (energy deficit) following ACL injury can impair skeletal muscle hypertrophy and recovery, as the body may not have sufficient energy to support both healing and muscle growth.
After ACL surgery, avoid cutting calories to 'stay lean.' Your body needs sufficient energy to heal and rebuild muscle. Focus on eating enough to support your activity level and recovery, rather than restricting food intake.
Low energy availability is a mismatch of energy intake and exercise energy expenditure... Such a mismatch can occur owing to a variety of reasons... The intuitive response following injury is often to reduce energy intake... However, the magnitude of such a decrease in energy expenditure... may be less than expected... Ironically, this may leave a legacy of inadequate energy and nutrient support for rehabilitation.
Why this rating
The paper discusses the concept and cites studies on energy deficit, but notes limited specific studies on energy availability and hypertrophy in ACL contexts.
Source
Nutritional Interventions to Attenuate Quadriceps Muscle Deficits following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury and Reconstruction
Miriam Smith et al. · Sports Medicine · 2025
DOI 10.1007/s40279-025-02174-w
More from this paper
- Nutritional supplementation can attenuate quadriceps muscle atrophy and promote hypertrophy following ACL injury and reconstruction through three primary mechanisms: direct stimulation of muscle protein synthesis, indirect enhancement of training capacity, and direct effects on satellite cell proliferation.Moderate
- Creatine supplementation may enhance muscle hypertrophy following ACL injury by increasing intramuscular phosphocreatine, thereby improving high-intensity exercise capacity, and potentially stimulating mTOR and satellite cell proliferation.Moderate
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