Healing sport injury with fasting

[Stephane]

I wonder if anyone has any experience in healing sport injury with fasting. If so, can you tell what you did?

Personally, about 2 weeks ago, I was training on bars with a friend, and tried out something he showed me I shouldn't have, and injured my right chest in the upper part on the parallel bars. Not very happy camper, I couldn't do much after that.

At the beginning I thought it was on the muscle, and thought it would take a few days to go away, but after almost a week, I was still the same, nothing changed, and I wasn't happy. Clearly, it was not muscle but tendon I must have ripped in the upper part of the chest, just below the shoulder.

So I decided to take a break, and try to fast for at least a couple days, just to see what can happen. And just at the end of the first day, I could feel the pain area getting smaller, on the second day it was significantly smaller, and the day after I started eating again later in the day. I was happy to be getting better, but after two days, again, no improvements, nothing changed....

So, I went back to fasting again, for more than 2 days again, and at the end of the first day, I could go back on the bars and do some leg raises with no pain. The day after, I could do push ups, no problems, and in the afternoon I went to the bars to do pull ups, loops etc, just about the same than before. I only avoided the parallel bars, and kept it under max I could do, just not to overdo it straightaway.

But I was amazed how after a few days of fasting, the healing process on the injury went on so fast. No I'm a happy camper. Of course, one can say it is just timing, but honestly, after the first week, I was really desperate for it not to go away, and the first two days fasting were the first and only ones when I felt some improvements. Not even talking on the last days fasting where it all went away.

So, if anyone has similar experience, please share.

[Peggy Speir]

I kind of have a similar experience, except mine is pertaining to my recent knee surgery and my arthritis in my hip and knees.

When I had my surgery in September I was on a juice cleanse prior to it - not intentional, but the timing of this emergency surgery happened while I was juicing - I apparently healed very quickly, with minimum swelling. My physio lady was quite impressed with me being up and about walking pretty soon after the surgery. The scars healed quickly and I felt strong and balanced after a few days of rest and just juicing. When I had the follow up with the surgeon he thought I was a month ahead of the usual patient in my healing journey. Not bad.

I have very bad osteoarthritis in my right hip - quite debilitating for the past 2 years. Last spring I decided none of the things the drs were having me do or doing to me were giving me any relief so I decided to juice feast. Within about 5 days the pain was easing up. Within 2 weeks I was walking around. Within a month I was in a pilates class (to give you a point of reference, for 2 years I had not been able to walk for more than a block without being crippled with pain). But after a wee bit of time I started to go back to my old way of eating and sure enough the pain came back - almost IMMEDIATELY. So back I went to juicing and  eating raw and cooked vegan. Pain eased up. I slip, the pain comes back...... and so the see saw of this continues to this day.

For me, it's about inflammation. By removing all the dairy, white foods (flour, sugar, pastas, etc) I remove inflammation triggers. I don't think you can heal what I have, but by eating cleanly I can live with very little pain....and that's getting my life back.