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Can anabolic steriods aid in injury recovery? If I pulled one of my major muscles such as pectoralis major (chest) or biceps femoris (hamstring group), would taking anabolic steriods aid the recovery? For those of you that have ever had a major hamstring pull, they can take a long time to heal. It seems to make sense that anabolic steriods would help the healing process since they aid in muscle recovery and adaptation from workouts. However, I really do not know.
there is some controversy about it but yes, i believe that they do help and I believe the folowing study may explain why there is confusion about its benefits, since the time of measurement is crucial to the findings. BTW: GH is fantastic for recovery!!! like nothing else.
Anabolic Steroids vs. Corticosteroids and Skeletal Muscle Healing
Article Title: The effect of anabolic steroids and corticosteroids on healing of muscle contusion injury
Article Authors: Beiner JM, Jokl P, Cholewicki J, et al.
Reference: Am J Sports Med 1999; 27(1): 2-9
Type of Study: Parallel group, controlled clinical trial.
Evidence-Based Rating: 8/10
Clinical Interest Rating: 8/10
Background
There is a challenge to enhance the rate of skeletal muscle healing following acute injury in order to return the athlete back to competition as soon as possible.
Research question(s)
What are the effects of anabolic steroids and corticosteroids on the healing of skeletal muscle following contusion injury?
Practical application of the finding(s)
The results of this study suggest a positive effect of anabolic steroids with respect to healing of skeletal muscle injury. Further research is clearly needed.
Methodology
The effect of an anabolic steroid (nandrolone decanoate, 20 mg/kg) and a corticosteroid (methylprednisolone acetate, 25 mg/kg) on healing muscle injured with a drop-mass technique in a reproducible muscle contusion injury model in the rat was studied. Healing was determined by measuring active contractile tension in each muscle and histological analysis.
Main Finding(s)
At day 2, the corticosteroid group showed significant improvement in both twitch and tetanic strength relative to the controls. At day 7, this effect was reversed and the corticosteroid muscles were significantly weaker than the control muscles, but there was still no significant effect seen in the anabolic steroid group. At day 14, the corticosteroid muscles were totally degenerated, with disorganized muscle fiber architecture. The anabolic steroid muscles were significantly stronger in twitch, and a similar trend was seen in tetanus relative to control muscles.
Conclusion(s)
In an animal model corticosteroids may be beneficial in the short term, but they cause irreversible damage to healing muscle in the long term, including disordered fiber structure and a marked diminution in force-generating capacity. Anabolic steroids may aid in the healing of muscle contusion injury to speed the recovery of force-generating capacity. Although anabolic steroids are considered renegade drugs, they may have an ethical clinical application to aid healing in severe muscle contusion injury, and their use in the treatment of muscle injuries warrants further research.