Indigenous nutritional intervention for the recovery of a child with osteomyelitis: A clinical anecdote

Diet plays an influential role in the cure of diseases and restoration of health as it supplies nutrients required for tissue repair. Better nutrition helps to fight against infection and cope with stress effectively. Diet is an essential component of treatment for a disease, injury, or infection and must meet altered dietary requirements of the body resulting from these conditions. While providing care to orthopedic patients, clinical outcomes such as wound healing, mobility, and functional ability are positively influenced by adding therapeutic nutrition to the patient care plan alongside routine care. There is a close relationship between nutrition, infection, and immunity so therapeutic nutrition must hold a significant place in the care plans of orthopedic patients to boost their immunity, and treat infection. This clinical anecdote provides insight into how the process of wound healing, especially in children with infective bone pathology, is enhanced by systematically planned dietary monitoring and dietary supplementation. An 8-year old, male child, diagnosed with osteomyelitis of the left tibia with septic arthritis (left knee) developed numerous complications including septic shock. Initiation of intensive dietary monitoring enabled the healthcare team to analyze the need for dietary correction. Hence, carefully planned dietary supplementation was implemented, which contributed to positive clinical outcomes such as enhanced wound healing, improved mobility, weight gain, and reduced length of hospital stay. Orthopedic nutrition must start from the preliminary assessment of patients at an outpatient clinic and must continue until the final follow-up.