HGH After Shoulder Surgery

The shoulder is an important part of the body which most of us miss out a lot. It provides form and shape to the body. In order for us to fully understand how the shoulder functions, let us first review its anatomy.

The shoulder joint comprises the part of the body where the humerus attaches to the scapula. The shoulder is the group of structures in the region of the joint. The muscles and joints of the shoulder allow it to move through a remarkable range of motion, making it the most mobile joint in the human body.

It can be said that the shoulder can perform a wide range of actions based on its anatomy. The shoulder can abduct, adduct , rotate, be raised in front of and behind the torso and move in the sagittal plane. This tremendous range of motion also makes the shoulder extremely unstable, far more prone to dislocation and injury than other joints.

The recovery depends upon many factors, such as where the tear was located, how severe it was and how good the surgical repair was. It is believed that it takes at least four to six weeks for the labrum to re-attach itself to the scapula bone, and probably another four to six weeks to get strong. Because of the variability in the injury and the type of repair done, it is difficult to predict how soon someone can to return to activities and to sports after the repair.

There are many studies which have attempted to associate the use of human growth hormone with faster repair after surgery. But is it really true? Let us find out.

Human Growth Hormone and Shoulder Surgery

HGH is said to be an anabolic hormone. This means that it builds up rather than breaks down. Like most other protein hormones, GH acts by interacting with a specific receptor on the surface of cells.

The enhancement of human growth hormone on repair of shoulder injuries is brought about by two mechanisms. Because polypeptide hormones are not fat-soluble, they cannot penetrate sarcolemma. Thus, human growth hormone exerts some of its effects by binding to receptors on target cells in the shoulder bones and joints, where it activates a second messenger. Through this mechanism, HGH directly stimulates division and multiplication of chondrocytes of cartilage, thus aiding in faster repair. HGH also stimulates production of insulin-like growth factor 1 in the liver which has growth-stimulating effects on a wide variety of tissues, including the bone and connective tissue. IGF-1 also has stimulatory effects on osteoblast and chondrocyte activity to promote bone growth.

It also aids in faster healing of shoulder injury by increasing calcium retention, and strengthening and increasing the mineralization of bone. It also stimulates the immune system to fight against infection.