Editorial Commentary: Testosterone, Growth Hormone, and Vitamin D Supplementation Is Not Routinely Indicated for Orthopaedic Surgery Patients.
Dekker. Travis J TJ
Key Findings
- Testosterone replacement can improve mood, libido, and muscle mass, but isn’t routinely advised for orthopedic surgery patients.
- Vitamin D may aid bone health, muscle recovery, and tendon healing, yet it’s not a guaranteed supplement for all surgery cases.
- BPC‑157 is highlighted as a potential growth‑hormone‑like peptide that could support endurance training, metabolism, and tissue repair, but clinical guidelines do not currently endorse its regular use.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the takeaway is that BPC‑157 shows promise for recovery and performance, but there’s no clear dosing protocol or strong evidence to make it a standard part of post‑surgery or training regimens. Use caution, monitor emerging research, and consider discussing any use with a medical professional before adding it to your routine.
Summary
The article says doctors sometimes give testosterone, vitamin D, or growth‑hormone‑like peptides such as BPC‑157 to patients having joint surgery, but these aren’t standard treatments. While BPC‑157 is mentioned as possibly helping endurance, metabolism, tissue repair, and recovery after surgery, the piece warns that routine use isn’t recommended and there’s not enough solid evidence yet.
Abstract
Endocrinologists and family medicine physicians prescribe testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for decreased levels of androgens in aging males. Benefits include improvements in mood, cognition, libido, energy, and quality of life. In orthopaedic surgery patients of both sexes, benefits could also include improvements in functional outcomes, bone mineral density, lean body mass, and early mobilization. A challenge is that patients may request supplementation with TRT and other supplements, including vitamin D (which may benefit fracture healing, bone metabolism, muscle recovery, and healing of tendons and wounds) and growth hormones (specifically BPC 157, which may optimize endurance training, metabolism, tissue repair, and surgical recovery). However, TRT and other supplements have risks and may not be indicated. TRT is not recommended for routine use in the perioperative management of orthopaedic surgery patients.
Study Information
pubmed
2025
2025-02-03T00:00:00.000Z
10.1016/j.arthro.2025.01.033