Correct vitamin D deficiency before surgery, orthopaedic recommends — The October 6, 2010 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery reports that nearly half of orthopedic surgery patients are deficient in vitamin D, a condition that impairs bone healing, muscle function, and surgery recovery. Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and chief of the Metabolic Bone Disease Service at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery, MD and colleagues reviewed the charts of 723 men and women scheduled for orthopedic surgery from January 2007 to March 2008. Forty-three percent of the patients had insufficient preoperative vitamin D levels, defined as 20 to 32 nanograms per milliliter, and 40 percent had deficient levels of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter.
Younger individuals, men, and those with dark skin were likeliest to be low in vitamin D. Dr. explained that the healing of bony tissue takes…
