Cissus quadrangularis

[jayski]

Two weeks ago, I tore my right rotator cuff pretty badly. I'd just started reading 4HB, and skipped forward to learn about injury hacks. It was improving far too slowly for my impatience, so last week I ordered the supplement mentioned in the book, cissus quadrangularis (primaforce brand, which any talk I could find about it said was the best). It should arrive today. As of this morning, I can't quite straighten the arm in front of me, and lifting it up on my side I can only get it out to about 40 degrees from my body.
Details: female, mid 50s, not in terrific upper-body shape (yet... slow carb and kettle bells to come). I'll post any results from the cissus.

[jayski]

Update on the cissus, with the following disclaimer: there's absolutely no control for this. I have never injured a shoulder before and have no idea how long it should take to improve. However...

I have now been taking the cissus for 7 days. I was told to expect 2 weeks before it produced any improvement. I was also told that a torn rotator cuff normally takes up to 6 weeks to show much progress in function recovery.

I saw nothing unusual until today, 7 days after starting the cissus and 3.5 weeks after the injury. This morning, although stiff, it's much less painful and with the help of a chair back, I can do a squat which pulls the arm up past 90 degrees without pain.

Of course, this doesn't account for the placebo effect, or the natural course of healing. What I thought was pretty astounding was the rapid increase in improvement.

Anybody have any experience with this?

[vizualj]

how is your rotator cuff doing?

[FBM]

I slightly tore both of mine. I didnt have the 4hb. It took months to recover, I suggest going to a doctor and a physical therapist. It will take a while for this injury to heal. Just make sure you heal it properly.

[jayski]

I am just amazed by how well the cissus has worked. Since my last post, the injury is almost completely healed. I still have a bit of stiffness in the morning, and some muscle atrophy from the 3.5 weeks of dis-use (which I'm rehabbing myself with stretch bands and simply stretching). I can shampoo my hair with both hands and hold a blowdryer over my head. I've decided to finish the 30 days worth of caplets I have, just because I quit for a few days and the improvement stopped. Mission accomplished, and didn't waste a second of time sitting in doctors' offices! I honestly had no expectation that this would work this well.

[jayski]

I slightly tore both of mine. I didnt have the 4hb. It took months to recover, I suggest going to a doctor and a physical therapist. It will take a while for this injury to heal. Just make sure you heal it properly.

My last experience with physical therapy was not positive... I did a much better job on my own, frankly... not sure what you mean by "heal it properly", but if I can lift 30 lbs without re-tearing it, which I can (barely 5 weeks after injuring it), I think I'll give medical route a pass.

[KingMob]

Just to throw in my $.02... Even though I got 4HB in late December, I've held off on much exercising, since I fell on some stairs on Halloween night and badly injured my wrist (the party was worth it). It was taking months to heal.

Finally, I decided to give the cissus a try two weeks ago, and it's really accelerated the remaining healing, I think. My wrist is almost back to normal, I can do light push-ups and place weight on it. Now I just have to retrain myself to not make a fist when bracing weight with that hand...