Alcohol consumption delays facture healing and is best avoided if you have a fracture.
Though patients never directly asked me regarding consumption of alcohol in the hospital, I am quiet sure they would not be happy to know what the litrature has to say about alcohol and it effects on the fracture healing. There is an overwhelming evidence about its ill effects .
Up to 40% of orthopedic trauma patients present with history of alcohol consumption at the time of hospital admission, and alcohol consumption significantly raises the risk of healing complications, leading to nonunion and increased fracture healing times.(1)
Acute alcohol treatment following a fracture in mice was associated with a significant decrease in fracture callus volume, diameter, and biomechanical strength at day 14 post-fracture.(2)
Fig. 1 Fracture callus histology (H&E staining 10×). Histological structure of the fracture site is shown at 3 days post-fracture in saline control (a) and alcohol exposed (b). The fracture site of saline control mice shows evidence of granulation tissue accumulation (boxed area) and the presence of early cartilaginous callus formation (arrows). In contrast, the injury site of alcohol-exposed mice shows no evidence of granulation tissue accumulation or formation or cartilage tissue. (3)
Warning :
There is sufficient evidence in literature to show that alcohol consumption leads to a delay in fracture healing and increases the risk of a non union. Hence it should be avoided if you have a fracture and during the course of the treatment till there is good union at the fracture site.
References :
First published: 21 March 2016 https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.23235
2. Lauing KL, Roper PM, Nauer RK, Callaci JJ. Acute alcohol exposure impairs fracture healing and deregulates β-catenin signaling in the fracture callus. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2012 Dec;36(12):2095-103. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01830.x. Epub 2012 Jun 12. PMID: 22691115; PMCID: PMC3443513.
3.Natoli, R.M., Yu, H., Meislin, M.CM. et al. Alcohol exposure decreases osteopontin expression during fracture healing and osteopontin-mediated mesenchymal stem cell migration in vitro. J Orthop Surg Res13, 101 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-018-0800-7
4.Xu B, Anderson DB, Park ES, Chen L, Lee JH. The influence of smoking and alcohol on bone healing: Systematic review and meta-analysis of non-pathological fractures. EClinicalMedicine. 2021 Oct 31;42:101179. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101179. PMID: 34765953; PMCID: PMC8571530.
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