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Achilles tendon still grumbling at 9 months, thinking of adding GHK-Cu alongside BPC-157

Posted by casey613 in Healing & Recovery - 1 points, 4 comments.

So I've been nursing a partial thickness Achilles tear since last June, did the usual round of BPC-157 injectable around 250 mcg twice a day for about 6 weeks and it definitely helped early on, the swelling calmed down and I could actually walk without that constant nag. But nine months in and the tendon is still tender to palpate, especially first thing in the morning, and heavy calf work still flares it for a couple days after.

I've been reading more about GHK-Cu and the angiogenesis and collagen remodelling angle, seems like it could pair well at this later stage when the easy inflammation phase is done and I'm trying to actually rebuild tissue quality rather than just calm things down. My plan was to run a 2 to 3 month overlap, BPC-157 at a lower maintenance dose and GHK-Cu either subQ or intradermal near the tendon sheath a couple times a week.

Has anyone stacked the two specifically for a stubborn mid portion Achilles issue, and if so what dose ranges worked for you and did the timing matter relative to rehab sessions? Also curious if anyone noticed better results doing the GHK-Cu locally versus just systemically.

Comments

  • weekend_experiment470: Appreciate you sharing all this, the morning tenderness after nine months is honestly the most stubborn part of tendon healing I have come across. For me the collagen remodelling stage is where loading and blood flow do most of the work, and any compound on top is just a nudge. Couple of things from my own Achilles grumble years back. When I tried GHK-Cu locally near the tendon sheath it seemed to give me a small edge over subQ, but it could just be placebo since I was paying more attention to
  • dominic_d: Yeah, for what it is worth i agree that loading matters more than any peptide at 9 months. The morning tenderness point is also spot on for me, that was the last thing to go. Quick thing on the local application, since you mentioned it: how did you actually target the tendon sheath without going intra-articular? Mine is too high up for anything i would be comfortable doing without imaging.
  • casey613: Loading is fair, I've been lazy with heavy eccentrics the last month and I can feel the difference when I skip a week. Morning tenderness is the worst part, totally agree. For the local application I was thinking intradermal around the paratenon rather than into the sheath itself, so just fanning subcutaneous blebs along the tendon in the area that is most tender. I haven't actually done it yet though, was going to ask around before I start. How high up is yours, insertional or more mid substan
  • casey613: Yeah the morning stiffness thing is exactly what makes me feel like I'm stuck, like the tissue hasn't fully reorganised yet even though the pain is way more manageable than month one. Interesting you found local injection near the tendon sheath beat subQ, I was leaning subQ for simplicity but if there's even a slight edge from targeting the area directly I might just do it intradermal and suck it up lah. The heavy calf flare is the part that worries me most though, were you still getting that at

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