Can Collagen and Vitamin C Help You Bounce Back Faster With Musculoskeletal Injuries?

If you’ve ever battled a stubborn strain, sprain, or tendon niggle that just won’t quit, you’re not alone - musculoskeletal injuries make up over half of all athletic injuries. But what if the secret to faster recovery and stronger tissue repair was as simple as timing your supplements right? Recent research is shining a spotlight on vitamin C-enriched collagen as a powerful ally for injury prevention and rehab. Let’s muscle through the details and see what the breakthrough recommendations are. 

A number of studies have proven the effectiveness of vitamin C-enriched gelatine or hydrolysed collagen supplementation on improving collagen synthesis when taken 1 hour prior to exercise. Put simply it can play a beneficial role in injury prevention and tissue repair (2,4). The role of vitamin C is to help enhance collagen synthesis during a time of soft tissue healing. Interestingly this combination has also been proven to assist bone healing after a fracture (3).

A recent study on males also found that supplementation with 20 g of hydrolysed collagen and 50 mg of vitamin C 1 hour prior to strength training, improved the rate of force development in lower limbs (5). 

Until recently there were few products which combined collagen and vitamin C to assist athletes with musculoskeletal injuries and general wear and tear soft tissue recovery. Pillar Performance has created the goods again when it released PILLAR Performance Collagen Repair. Based on the current research into this area PILLAR Performance Collagen Repair combines collagen peptides (TENDOFORTE®) and vitamin C in a powdered supplement form. TENDOFORTE® has been studied by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in a 6 month cross-over design trial with 20 participants who had long-term symptoms of chronic Achilles tendinopathy. These athletes were not responding to any traditional therapies and were unable to train. Within 3 months of supplementing with 5 g of TENDOFORTE® in combination with a highly specialised exercise program, 12 out of 20 participants had returned to running (6). PILLAR Performance Collagen Repair is unflavoured which makes it easy to add to smoothies, pre-workout snacks/meals or with water. It is also Informed Sports certified to ensure it doesn’t contain any banned substances and every batch contains the correct labeled ingredients. 

In summary, supplementing with PILLAR Performance Collagen Repair 1 hour prior to strength training can assist injury prevention, tissue repair,  bone healing and force development in lower limbs. 

To try it out for yourself add PILLAR Performance Collagen Repair to your next cart.

Ash Miller
Dietitian and Nutritionist (Masters)
Bachelor of Physical and Health Education
Instagram: @ashthomo_nutrition

References:

1. Gimigliano F, Resmini G, Moretti A, Aulicino M, Gargiulo F, Gimigliano A, Liguori S, Paoletta M, Iolascon G. Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Injuries in Adult Athletes: A Scoping Review. Medicina (Kaunas). 2021 Oct 17;57(10):1118. doi: 10.3390/medicina57101118. PMID: 34684155; PMCID: PMC8539527.

2. Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A, Ross ML, Wang B, Baar K. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Jan;105(1):136-143. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.138594. Epub 2016 Nov 16. PMID: 27852613; PMCID: PMC5183725.

3. DePhillipo NN, Aman ZS, Kennedy MI, Begley JP, Moatshe G, LaPrade RF. Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 Oct 25;6(10):2325967118804544. doi: 10.1177/2325967118804544. PMID: 30386805; PMCID: PMC6204628.

4. Lis DM, Baar K. Effects of Different Vitamin C-Enriched Collagen Derivatives on Collagen Synthesis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019 Sep 1;29(5):526-531. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0385. PMID: 30859848.

5. Lis DM, Jordan M, Lipuma T, Smith T, Schaal K, Baar K. Collagen and Vitamin C Supplementation Increases Lower Limb Rate of Force Development. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2022 Mar 1;32(2):65-73. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0313. Epub 2021 Nov 22. PMID: 34808597.

6. Praet SFE, Purdam CR, Welvaert M, Vlahovich N, Lovell G, Burke LM, Gaida JE, Manzanero S, Hughes D, Waddington G. Oral Supplementation of Specific Collagen Peptides Combined with Calf-Strengthening Exercises Enhances Function and Reduces Pain in Achilles Tendinopathy Patients. Nutrients. 2019 Jan 2;11(1):76. doi: 10.3390/nu11010076. PMID: 30609761; PMCID: PMC6356409.