Supplements for Muscle Injuries
If you’ve strained or torn a muscle or tendon and you are looking to optimize your recovery, there is scientific evidence to support the use of certain supplements. The three supplements with the most amount of research backing them are whey protein powder, creatine monohydrate and collagen peptides (with vitamin C). They have been shown to help repair muscle tissue, reduce inflammation, and support strength recovery after muscle injuries.
1. Whey Protein Powder
Why it works: Complete proteins supply amino acids—especially leucine—that directly trigger muscle protein synthesis (MPS), the body’s process of repairing and rebuilding muscle fibers. Research link.
Dosing & Timing:
20–40 g, 2–4 times per day
Take after rehab or physical therapy, and before bed for overnight recovery
Spread doses evenly across the day for best results
2. Creatine Monohydrate
Why it works: Creatine helps regenerate cellular energy (ATP) and may reduce muscle damage, inflammation, and strength loss after injury. It’s especially useful during rehab to preserve muscle mass and power. Research link
Dosing & Timing:
5 g per day, ideally post-exercise or with food
Optional: Loading phase of 20 g/day (4 × 5 g) for 5–7 days
3. Collagen Peptides + Vitamin C
Why it works: Collagen supports tendons and connective tissue around the muscle—especially useful for injuries at the myotendinous junction. When taken before loading (e.g., rehab), it may enhance tissue repair and speed strength recovery. Research links, 1, 2, 3.
Dosing & Timing:
15–20 g collagen peptides
+ 50–100 mg vitamin C, taken 45–60 minutes before rehab or light exercise
Which ones to buy?
For each type of supplement there are a vast array of products, all claiming to be superior to their competitors. My overall view is that its better to take something, rather than nothing, so don’t get bogged down on finding the ultimate product, unless you have a lot of spare time and patience!
Below I have provided a link to an example product for each supplement - just click on the title. Please note, for vegans there are non-animal derived protein powder alternatives, but for collagen (by definition) there aren’t. For vegans, you should try to optimize your own collagen production using products containing silica instead. Personally, I prefer bovine-derived collagen rather than marine-derived collagen as it is naturally more similar to our own collagen makeup.
Whey protein powder - There are loads of choices, and it may just come down to your preference re flavours and how easily it dissolves in whatever you are mixing it with.
Creatine monohydrate - There are also various flavored versions, as the plain powder tastes like underpants. There are also gummies.
Collagen peptides* & vitamin C - Although there are products that combine these two together, I think that it’s more economical to buy them separately. *I have been using this particular collagen product for years. As for vitamin C, I would personally take at least 1g (1000mg) a day instead of 50-100mg used in the research.
It’s also worth noting that there are other supplements with some evidence suggesting that they can help with muscle injuries, but thus far the evidence is less compelling. These include, omega-3 fatty acids, BCAAs, glutamine, curcumin (turmeric) and tart cherry juice.
How long to take them?
To make sure that the supplements are fully supporting the healing processes in your muscles, you should take them for at least 4-6 weeks. In the case of tendon injuries, you may want to take the collagen and vitamin C for 6-12 weeks as connective tissue healing (tendons, ligaments) usually takes longer than muscle repair.
Cliff Russell, Registered Osteopath, Osteo Studio
