Using HGH For Post-Op Recovery And Longevity Medicine
Dr Harpal Bains
MBBS DFSRH PGCAestMed (Dist)
December 14, 2023
Dr Harpal Bains
MBBS DFSRH PGCAestMed (Dist)
December 14, 2023
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is instrumental in speeding up the body’s healing processes following an injury, or an operation to treat an injury. It is also used as part of longevity medicine to replace age-declining HGH levels to help slow ageing and improve general wellness. These are the two most common uses for this powerful hormone, and this is evident in the patients we treat at Harpal Clinic.
In this article, we further explore how we can use HGH for post-op recovery and longevity.
Our patients are often already well-informed about the potential benefits of HGH, but perhaps seek confirmation that the hormone can be utilised for pre-op and post-op recovery. With a wealth of experience in treating patients with HGH in this way, we can confirm that this treatment is not only well-suited to preparing for and aiding recovery, but it excels in this role.
When using HGH for recovery, treatment lengths vary from patient to patient, but in many cases are often short due to its targeted nature for injury recovery. However, this doesn’t limit the benefits of the hormone. Even a short course of HGH can significantly contribute to overall improved healing and regeneration.
HGH is ideal for:
A substantial number of HGH patients seek this treatment for wear and tear injuries, particularly to the shoulders or knees. Amongst these are athletes and sports enthusiasts who regularly go long-distance running, skiing, kickboxing, or play tennis. These high impact sports can cause damage to the joints, and oftentimes the damage cannot be repaired using traditional therapy until it is too late, and the joint needs to be replaced. This is illustrated in our case study below.
Recently, we treated a patient who maintained a very active lifestyle. However, regular skiing caused the health of his knees to gradually decline due to wear and tear.
Before being treated at Harpal Clinic, he had experienced pain in his left knee, which was eased with lavage (irrigation of the joint space). At this point, the knee could not be treated with traditional medicine because only limited damage had occurred, which was not enough to warrant treatment.
After returning to skiing, the pain inevitably reappeared, and began negatively impacting his sports, general fitness and social life. However, instead of opting for another lavage, the patient came to Harpal Clinic, where we recommended an eight-week course of HGH.
The patient was delighted when he experienced a vast improvement in terms of pain reduction and increased mobility after his course of treatment.
We recently saw him again, almost a year after his initial visit. Overall, both his knees were in much better shape. He had been compensating for the pain in his left knee by putting excessive pressure on his right knee but did not notice the decline and discomfort as it was not as bad as his left knee. Now that he did not compensate anymore, both knees felt better. Another ski season was due and he wanted to be prepared for it. He felt confident about skiing and was happy that he did not have to give it up. To him, annual maintenance of his knee health was preferable to invasive procedures like a lavage which did not help much.
It is a common misconception that testosterone and HGH can be used to treat the same issues. While some side effects of age-related testosterone and HGH decline cross over, there are some conditions where HGH is the preferred treatment route over testosterone, and vice versa. For example, HGH can be used to treat injuries to the ligaments and tendons, whereas testosterone is better suited to muscle repair. When an injury causes damage to both muscles and/or tendons and ligaments, the use of the two hormones simultaneously can be extremely effective.
Whilst it is common knowledge that testosterone affects muscle growth more than HGH, HGH is likely more suitable for tendon or ligament injuries due to four main reasons:
Collagen synthesis: HGH stimulates collagen synthesis which gives strength and structural support to tendons
Cell proliferation: HGH promotes fibroblast proliferation. Fibroblasts are crucial for synthesis of collagen and other structural proteins in connective tissues
Anti-inflammatory effects: HGH decreases inflammation, hence improving the environment for optimal repair (too much inflammation can hinder repair)
Stimulation of growth factors: HGH stimulates release of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) which is important for cell growth and repair
Testosterone does not have the same direct stimulatory effect on tendons and muscles as HGH. Hence, the use of either one or both these hormones (depending on injury type) can really enhance injury repair.
For those who aim to remain healthy and active in their later years, HGH can be both used to prevent age-related deficiency and decline, and to support recovery after an injury. For age-related benefits, HGH is usually adopted over a longer time period as part of a wider longevity medicine protocol.
When it comes to the former, HGH has many benefits, and can help:
This is not a treatment that stops ageing, but slows down its negative effects, and the factors that contribute to ageing, allowing you to have a better quality of life throughout your later years. The benefits mentioned above can vary from person to person, depending on age and individual health, but most report feeling reinvigorated, stronger and energetic, and have better general physical and mental wellbeing.
In regards to the latter use of HGH – to support recovery after an injury – this is particularly pertinent when it comes to ageing well. When we’re young we can usually recover relatively quickly from an injury such as a fracture, but when we reach middle age, as a result of age-related hormone decline, we can experience longer recovery times that may impact greatly on quality of life. In these cases, HGH therapy is a valuable tool for promoting quicker recovery.
Dr Harpal Bains says: “During my time working in orthopaedics as a junior doctor, I saw the grave impact of injuries such as fractures on the older patient population. For a lot of people, especially those past middle age, a fracture can be life changing, and can really decrease their quality of life. In some cases, many never recover without specialist treatment. This decrease in quality of life can have an impact on other areas of health, because the patient takes so long to recover from their injury that they stop being active, and as we know, there are so many negative side effects that come with a sedentary lifestyle. HGH gives your body the support it needs to recover from injury and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.”
Complementary treatments can aid recovery even further:
A common concern when taking HGH is the risk of diabetes. During HGH therapy, your blood sugar levels may go up, but this is a temporary phenomenon that settles down within weeks as the body adjusts to treatment.
Swelling, another potential side effect, is temporary and manageable through dosage adjustments.
HGH side effects are most often linked with overuse. At Harpal Clinic, we are not looking to increase your HGH levels past what they would naturally be, but instead replace what you have lost with age in order to ensure they are optimal for your body.
Monitoring the health of our patients carefully with regular blood tests ensures treatment efficacy and safety, including short-term applications like pre-op and post-op recovery, where the risk of side effects is minimal.
Our unique HGH preliminary assessment helps us to understand better if HGH is right for you based on current symptoms and a blood test. This is a great way to discover more about your HGH levels and the treatment in general, before committing to a consultation.
