Be careful taking Ibuprofren for extended periods. If you can, see if your doctor will prescribe Relafen as a substitute, it is a lot milder on your system than any of the rest of the nSaid family (Ibuprofren, Aspirin, Naproxin Sodium etc).

Methyl Sulfonyl Methane is a treatment used a lot on horses' joints with good effects. Like it's cousin, Di-Methyl Sulf-Oxide (DMSO), it is a transporter solvent that tends to draw nutrients to the joints rather well, thus MSM is combined with Glucosamine and Chondroitin to improve targeted delivery systemically. DMSO and MSM are also used topically by applying the solution(s) directly to the skin around the joint. Care must be taken, as any contaminant present on the skin or in the solution will tend to be absorbed and could result in toxic chemical exposure. MSM is not as efficient a solvent as DMSO, so it is considered safer to handle. DMSO is no longer legal to administer to humans, though veterinary supply and use on animals is still legal.

In very rare occasions, people with metabolic anomalies should not be exposed to DMSO. There is a possibility for the body to partially metabolize it into DMSO-4 (dimethyl sulfate), which is extremely toxic. I doubt that using or consuming MSM will result in such a toxic metabolite. However, with the most popular case of metabolized DMSO-4 poisoning, they still don't have an explanation as to why the DMSO-4 occurred, only a few theories.

I've heard that topical treatments of MSM on a regular and on-going basis have shown marginal improvement in joint motion in older horses.