BPC-157 vs Eccentrics

Did BPC-157 do anything or was it just the eccentrics finally working?

Thread summary

Credit the eccentrics. (shared by @CoachTerrell)
You do not actually need to solve the attribution question to make good practical decisions here. (shared by @Dr_Rehab_Ray)
That conclusion usually takes people a year of failed experiments and setbacks to reach, so figuring it out in four months is a huge win. (shared by @AchillesAnna)
Did eccentrics alone the first time and jumped again in 5 months. (shared by @jumpers_knee_jess)

Top answer from @CoachTerrell. Jump to reply

Genuine question, not bait. I have a patellar tendon that has been bad on and off for two years. Around four months ago I started two things in the same week: a real eccentric program from a PT, and a compounded peptide after a telehealth review. I am meaningfully better. Stairs are fine, I can jog again, morning stiffness is mostly gone. I have no idea what to credit and it is bothering me more than it probably should. How do people who have been at this longer think about this?

Still here. Still slow.

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CoachTerrell Top answerAtlanta, GA10 points2mo ago

Credit the eccentrics. It is the only thing you started with actual controlled human data for patellar tendinopathy. If you credit the wrong one and drop heavy slant board squats, you will find out the hard way in two months.

You cannot inject your way out of a bad program.

jumpers_knee_jessOmaha, NE8 points2mo ago

Did eccentrics alone the first time and jumped again in 5 months. Added peptides on flare #2 and it felt faster (4 months), but I also caught it earlier. Honestly my n=2 is totally worthless.

Isometrics before ice. Every time.

Dr_Rehab_RayCleveland, OH8 points2mo ago

You do not actually need to solve the attribution question to make good practical decisions here. The real question in front of you is what to keep doing moving forward. Keep the progressive loading going no matter what, because tendon load capacity is use dependent and will regress if you stop. The mechanical adaptation from eccentrics is what actually restores structural tolerance over time. Whether you continue anything else is a conversation for your prescriber based on cost, safety, and your tolerance for an unproven adjunct. Trying to split the credit is intellectually unsatisfying, but clinically it is irrelevant as long as the loading stays intact.

Load is the drug with the best data.

LabRatLouisBoston, MA7 points2mo ago

Also consider option C: spontaneous regression. Month 4 of a flare is right when tendinopathy often settles on its own. You cannot rule it out, which is why anecdotes are not controlled trials.

Preclinical is not a promise.

slow_healer_samOPBoise, ID7 points2mo ago

That is bleak but fair. Keeping up with the eccentrics forever, then.

Still here. Still slow.

AchillesAnnaPortland, OR4 points2mo ago

That conclusion usually takes people a year of failed experiments and setbacks to reach, so figuring it out in four months is a huge win. When I was rebuilding my Achilles for marathon training, accepting that loading is a lifelong habit was what finally broke the cycle. Stick with it.

Slow is smooth. Smooth is 5k pace eventually.