SubQ Testosterone Therapy and Chiropractic in El Paso

Abstract

Subcutaneous testosterone injections, often called SubQ or SC injections, place testosterone into the fatty tissue just under the skin instead of deep into a muscle. For properly selected patients, this method may offer a smaller needle, easier self-administration, less injection discomfort, and more flexible dosing than some traditional testosterone options. Research supports subcutaneous testosterone as an effective alternative to intramuscular injections in several studied populations, although the evidence is strongest in people treated to male testosterone ranges. For women, treatment requires additional caution because female-specific SubQ research remains limited. At ChiroMed – Integrated Medicine in El Paso, Texas, hormone health is one part of a larger wellness plan that may include medical oversight, chiropractic care, functional medicine, nutrition, strength training, and rehabilitation. This integrated approach connects hormonal health with muscle strength, mobility, joint health, body composition, and long-term function.

What Is a Subcutaneous Testosterone Injection?

Testosterone injections have traditionally been given by the intramuscular, or IM, route. An IM injection places medication deep into a muscle. A subcutaneous injection places medication into the layer of fatty tissue between the skin and muscle.

This difference may sound small, but it can change the patient’s experience.

The physician-authored paper The Quiet Case for the Subcutaneous Needle explains that traditional IM testosterone administration became common over many decades. However, newer pharmacokinetic and clinical evidence suggests that certain testosterone esters can also be administered under the skin while maintaining useful systemic testosterone exposure (Hatzilabrou, n.d.).

SubQ testosterone is still an injection. Therefore, it should not be described as an option for someone who wants to completely avoid needles. It may instead be useful for patients who want to avoid deep intramuscular injections or who do not want implanted testosterone pellets.

Why Patients May Consider SubQ Testosterone

Long-term hormone treatment needs to be medically appropriate, but it also needs to be practical. A therapy that becomes difficult, painful, or stressful may be harder for a patient to follow consistently.

Possible advantages of SubQ testosterone may include:

• A shorter, finer needle compared with many traditional IM injections
• Easier access to injection sites
• Less deep muscle soreness
• Easier self-administration after proper training
• Greater flexibility for future dose changes
• No pellet insertion procedure
• No need to remove an implanted product before changing the next dose
• The possibility of smaller, more frequent doses when medically appropriate

In a comparative study by Spratt et al. (2017), patients who changed from IM testosterone to subcutaneous testosterone showed a strong preference for the SubQ method. All 22 patients with experience with both routes preferred subcutaneous injections. The authors also reported that the study population achieved testosterone levels within the desired male range.

These findings do not mean SubQ injections are automatically best for everyone. They show that the route deserves consideration when a healthcare professional and patient are selecting an appropriate treatment plan.

Subcutaneous Versus Intramuscular Testosterone

Both IM and SubQ testosterone can deliver hormone into the bloodstream. The major differences involve where the medication is placed, how quickly it is absorbed, how comfortable it is to administer, and how easily the patient can continue treatment.

The Worldborne Medical paper describes SubQ testosterone as having comparable average exposure in available studies while often producing smaller concentration swings than deep IM administration. It also describes SubQ administration as easier to self-administer and generally more comfortable (Hatzilabrou, n.d.).

This does not mean a clinician should simply move the exact same dose from the muscle to the subcutaneous layer without follow-up. Absorption may differ. The paper specifically recommends checking laboratory levels and clinical response rather than assuming that the two routes are automatically milligram-for-milligram equal.

The goal is not simply to give testosterone. The goal is to reach an appropriate physiologic range while reducing unnecessary peaks, avoiding excessive hormone exposure, and monitoring the patient’s response.

SubQ Testosterone Compared With Pellets

Testosterone pellets offer another approach. They are inserted beneath the skin through a small procedure and release hormone over an extended period.

For some patients, that convenience is attractive.

Other patients may prefer a treatment that’s easily to adjust. Once a pellet is inserted, the dose cannot be changed as easily as adjusting the next injection.

SubQ injections may therefore appeal to patients who want:

• A treatment they can administer at home after training
• More control over dosing schedules
• Easier dose adjustment
• No minor pellet insertion procedure
• A shorter-acting option that can be modified during future follow-up

The paper compares IM injections, pellets, transdermal therapy, oral testosterone, and subcutaneous injections. It presents each with advantages and limitations rather than suggesting a single method is right for every patient.

Subcutaneous Testosterone for Men

Clinical evidence for subQ testosterone is strongest in populations receiving testosterone concentrations within male physiologic ranges.

Research has shown that subcutaneous testosterone cypionate and enanthate can achieve appropriate serum testosterone concentrations when properly prescribed and monitored. Spratt et al. (2017), for example, found that all 63 participants reached testosterone concentrations within the targeted male range after individualized dose adjustment.

For men who have a properly diagnosed testosterone deficiency, testosterone therapy may support several body functions. Testosterone plays a role in:

• Muscle mass
• Muscle strength
• Bone health
• Sexual function
• Red blood cell production
• Body composition
• Energy and general well-being

Testosterone therapy should not be viewed simply as a muscle-building treatment. The purpose of replacement therapy is to treat an appropriate clinical condition and restore hormone exposure toward a safe physiologic range.

What About SubQ Testosterone for Women?

Testosterone is also an important hormone in women. However, female testosterone therapy is a more complex area.

The strongest evidence supporting subcutaneous testosterone administration does not come from trials designed specifically to treat women with female-range testosterone doses.

The Worldborne Medical paper clearly points out this limitation. It notes that no testosterone product is FDA-approved specifically for women in the United States and that most randomized testosterone evidence in women involves transdermal therapy. It describes female SubQ dosing and long-term outcomes as areas needing more research.

This distinction is important.

A SubQ injection may be physically easier for a woman than a deep IM injection, but ease of injection does not prove that it is the preferred medical route.

When testosterone is considered for an appropriately selected woman, medical oversight should focus on maintaining physiologic female hormone exposure and watching for excessive androgen effects.

These can include:

• Acne
• Increased facial or body hair
• Scalp hair changes
• Voice changes
• Changes in mood
• Other signs of excessive testosterone exposure

Women considering testosterone therapy should therefore have an individualized discussion about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment goals, available evidence, dose, delivery route, risks, and laboratory monitoring.

Testosterone, Muscle Strength, and Musculoskeletal Health

Hormone health and musculoskeletal health can influence each other, but they are not the same.

Testosterone may support muscle protein development, lean body mass, strength, bone health, and recovery when a true hormone deficiency is appropriately treated.

Chiropractic care does something different.

Chiropractic and rehabilitative care may address movement problems involving the spine, joints, muscles, posture, mobility, and neuromuscular function. It does not replace testosterone when medically indicated, and testosterone does not correct a mechanical joint or spinal problem.

This is where an integrated treatment model can become useful.

For example, a patient with low testosterone may begin medically supervised hormone treatment but may also have:

• Reduced strength
• Low activity levels
• Back pain
• Hip stiffness
• Poor balance
• Old injuries
• Deconditioning
• Difficulty exercising

Correcting hormone levels alone may not fix those problems.

How ChiroMed Connects Hormone Health and Chiropractic Care

ChiroMed – Integrated Medicine in El Paso is built around a multidisciplinary model rather than a single treatment. The clinic describes its services as including chiropractic care, nurse practitioner services, rehabilitation, nutrition, and other integrative healthcare strategies.

Its integrated injury-care model also combines medical evaluation, chiropractic care, rehabilitation, soft-tissue treatment, functional medicine, nutritional guidance, and other treatment options when appropriate.

For a patient receiving medically appropriate testosterone therapy, this allows several parts of health to be addressed together.

Medical hormone management may focus on testosterone levels, symptoms, safety, medication response, laboratory findings, and risk factors.

Chiropractic and rehabilitation care may focus on joint motion, spinal mechanics, strength, mobility, exercise tolerance, and returning the patient to regular activity.

Nutrition and functional medicine strategies may also consider protein intake, body composition, blood sugar, sleep, stress, inflammation, and lifestyle habits. ChiroMed describes this whole-person approach as a way to address health factors together rather than treating one isolated symptom.

Dr. Jimenez and Dr. Cardenas: A Team-Based Approach

Dr. Alexander Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, CCST, works across chiropractic, family-practice nursing, functional medicine, rehabilitation, nutrition, and musculoskeletal care.

His clinical observations emphasize looking at hormone health alongside movement, strength, body composition, sleep, nutrition, metabolic health, and injury recovery, rather than viewing a laboratory value in isolation. ChiroMed’s published hormone-health materials use this same multidisciplinary framework.

Dr. Maria Guadalupe Cardenas, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and serves as Medical Director and Collaborative Physician. ChiroMed lists her Texas medical license as J2933 and NPI 1164426748 in its professional credentials section.

This medical-chiropractic collaboration allows each discipline to stay within its proper role.

Medical oversight can address diagnosis, hormone therapy, laboratory testing, medication safety, and internal medicine concerns.

Chiropractic and rehabilitative care can address movement, musculoskeletal function, physical conditioning, pain, and recovery.

Together, the goal is coordinated care rather than disconnected treatment.

Strength Training Matters Too

Testosterone therapy should not replace exercise.

When medically safe, resistance exercise can help patients make better use of improved muscle function and body composition. Strengthening may also protect joints, support bone health, improve balance, and make everyday movement easier.

An integrated plan may include:

• Progressive resistance training
• Core stabilization
• Mobility exercises
• Chiropractic treatment when appropriate
• Injury rehabilitation
• Adequate protein
• Healthy sleep
• Weight management
• Metabolic health support
• Medical monitoring of testosterone therapy

The goal is not merely to improve a hormone number. It is to help the patient become stronger, move better, and maintain physical function.

Testosterone Still Requires Medical Monitoring

A smaller needle does not make testosterone a minor medication.

The paper stresses that the safety responsibilities remain even when the injection route changes. Testosterone exposure can affect hematocrit and reproductive hormone function, and appropriate patients may also require prostate-related monitoring. Fertility goals should be discussed before treatment because external testosterone can suppress normal reproductive signaling.

Subcutaneous injections may also cause temporary:

• Redness
• Tenderness
• Bruising
• Itching
• Small injection-site lumps

The Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic both emphasize using testosterone exactly as directed and maintaining medical follow-up during therapy.

The ChiroMed Approach to Whole-Person Hormone and Musculoskeletal Health

Subcutaneous testosterone gives appropriately selected patients another option for medically supervised hormone therapy.

It may be especially useful for someone who does not want testosterone pellets or repeated deep intramuscular injections. For many patients treated to male testosterone ranges, research supports SubQ testosterone as a practical and well-tolerated alternative to traditional IM treatment.

For women, greater caution is needed because evidence for female-specific SubQ therapy remains limited. Treatment decisions should be individualized and guided by current evidence, symptoms, laboratory findings, medical history, and careful monitoring.

At ChiroMed – Integrated Medicine in El Paso, the larger goal is to connect hormone health with the rest of the body. Testosterone therapy may address an appropriate hormonal problem, while chiropractic care, rehabilitation, functional medicine, nutrition, and exercise address the physical systems that help patients move, build strength, recover, and stay active.

That is the value of integrated care: the hormone, the muscles, the joints, movement, nutrition, and overall health are considered as connected parts of the same patient.

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References

Figueiredo, M. G., Gagliano-Jucá, T., & Basaria, S. (2022). Testosterone therapy with subcutaneous injections: A safe, practical, and reasonable option. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 107(3), 614–626. Testosterone Therapy With Subcutaneous Injections

Hatzilabrou, T. A. (n.d.). The quiet case for the subcutaneous needle. Worldborne Medical.

Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Testosterone: Intramuscular route, subcutaneous route. Testosterone—Intramuscular and Subcutaneous Routes

Spratt, D. I., Stewart, I. I., Savage, C., et al. (2017). Subcutaneous injection of testosterone is an effective and preferred alternative to intramuscular injection: Demonstration in female-to-male transgender patients. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 102(7), 2349–2355. Subcutaneous Injection of Testosterone Study

Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Subcutaneous testosterone injection: Uses and side effects. Subcutaneous Testosterone Injection

ChiroMed – Integrated Medicine. (2026). Integrated injury care in El Paso, TX. Integrated Injury Care in El Paso, TX

ChiroMed – Integrated Medicine. (2026). BHRT nutrition and integrative chiropractic care in El Paso. BHRT Nutrition and Integrative Chiropractic Care

ChiroMed – Integrated Medicine. (2026). Hormone balance, joint health, mobility, and flexibility. Hormone Balance, Joint Health, Mobility, and Flexibility