Hi Folks,

I have had bad knees since I was a teenager (many years ago), I have gone the orthoscopic surgery, Cortozone treatment, knee brace and orthotics route but find that the pain is now bad/constant enough to limit my outdoor adventures and field work performance.

I think the problems may be hereditary to a degree as both my father and grandfather have/had severe knee problems.

My question is about supplements proported to relieve joint pain namely; Glucosamine, Methyl Sulfonyl Methane (MSM) and Chondroitin.

Do any forum members have experience with these supplements or any other joint remedies (e.g. exercises, therapy, surgery, chiropractor)?

Thanks,

MIKE

Mike,

I have been using them for over a year now. I also have knee and joint pain because of injuries and hereditary. They do work and pretty good. It just takes about three to four weeks for them to kick in but when it does you notice a difference. I ran out and never got them filled for a couple of weeks and I could tell right away. The main ones I use is Glucosamne and Chondroitin. If you go to a medical supply company you can get a triple strengh formula that includes both in one pill. This lets you only take one to two pills a day and not four to six, and if your like me and have to take other pills this helps alot.

Hope this helped,

Mark

www.biofreeze.com

they give out out at my swim things. it works like a charm on my shoulder.

Look closely at your footwear and what your doing. If your shoes wear irregularly and/or they don't offer proper support they could be the origin or contribute to the problem. If your abusing your knees on a maladjusted bike or in certain tasks this too could put excessive stress on your knees. In either case you need to correct these problems before worrying about anything else.

All the therapy, aids and nutritional support in the world can't make up for regular abuse of the joints.

A friend who had a bad back and knees had seemingly tried everything. Nothing worked until he visited a orthopedist who was savvy enough to notice that he walked with a very bow-legged stance. His stance wore out the soles of his shoes and the worn shoes made the problem worse. He was always out of alignment.

A few weeks training by a physical therapist, to help align his gait, new supportive shoes and orthotic insoles all worked together to correct his gait. Once it was made more normal his knee and back problems disappeared.

Glucosamine, Chondroiten and MSM may help to speed healing but you have to find and correct the root cause of the problem before the healing can make any long-term progress.

If MSM seems to work by limiting inflammation you might get even better results by using horse liniment, DMSO, Di-methylsulfoxide. Both compounds are related. DMSO is available at many feed stores. The down side is that it is a transfer agent that will carry most organic chemicals through the skin so make sure your hands and skin are clean before using it. It smells like aquarium water and imparts a garlic smell to the breath so it isn't very pleasant stuff. That said I know of nothing better for inflammation.

I take straight Glucosamine (2 1000mg a day). As Mark said, they take a month or so to kick in (some people say 6 wks). And yes, if you run out, you know it.

When my mother was alive, I asked her doctor about using it for her arthritis (she was on about 10 meds) and the doctor said it was perfectly safe to use with her meds.

An acquaintance who has rheumatoid arthritis also uses the straight Glucosamine. She said she used the GC first, then could only get the Glucosamine (she lives way out in the Canadian boondocks), and didn't notice a difference except for price.

I don't know about the GMC combo.

Sue

My dad had bad knees, he took MSM and thought it might have helped a little bit. Then he had some injections that actually had gold in them (and cost like gold), but he died before he could find out if they helped or not...

I agree with Art, starting with your foot support to gain proper alignment is essential. I highly recommend Superfeet or Spenco inserts. The primary things you can do to take unecessary pressure off your knees is alignment (starting with the feet), muscle conditioning, and stretching. The weaker the knee the more muscle conditioning and flexibility is needed. Stretching your hamstrings, lower back, calves, piriformis (rear-end) muscle, and also very important, abdominal muscle conditioning. It may not be obvious, but a tight lower back or unconditioned abdominal can put lots of unnecessary strain on your knees. A good osteopath can really help you develop some stretching/exercise routines. This coming from someone who learned all this the hard way. Good luck.

Don't buy cheap shoes

Start Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation

Start glucosamine/choindroitin. This stuff, for whatever reason, is magical. Don't be cheap. Get on at least a two month regimen and see if this is for you.

I have to concur with the previous posts regarding glucosamine / MSM. I take both in a single tablet 2x a day. I have knee pain from old injuries and old age wear and tear (52 y.o.) and they make a noticeable improvement. They helped allow me to climb Mt. Washington in New Hampshire with our scout troop. This is the highest peak in the north east and no easy task.

As a side note, I have read that glucosamine and chondroitin are almost the same substance, one is just one step further along the decomposition process so taking both together is redundant.

blew out my knees a few years ago and had trouble getting around without pain. Now I use Glucosamine, and Chondroitin. I have tried different brnd name and didn't notice a differance. I do however notice when I forget to take them. If you have Knee pains and you know it's not an alignment problem or anything like that I recommend Glucosamine, and Chondroitin they keep me going.