Can you expand on your experience with this? I am not disputing your claim, but am interested in specifics. How did you know that it was the glucosamine that helped your joints on the off-season, and not simply the rest from badminton? I have seen glucosamine truly help people with chronic osteoarthritis. But it is the exception more than the rule. Is there good evidence for glucosamine in acute types of joint problems? Pete LSD is absolutely correct. What is essential for healthy joints is not chemical but mechanical --keeping a lean body weight, strong supporting muscles, and proper sporting technique.
Well after my arthoscopy and my knee opeation two years ago to repair my meniscus, the specialists advised me that if I wanted to keep playing I need to facilitate the re growth of cartlidge and to use Glucosamine Supplements to help with this.
Glucoseamine has been used to treat osteoarthritis in Europe for ages. Americans never heard of glucoseamine until some 10-15 years ago. The EU recognizes glucoseamine as having the highest level of evidence (1A category) and highest recommendation (A) of all treatments for osteoarthritis. A study published in the Lancet (medical journal) in 2001 show glucoseamine effectively controlled osteoarthritis symptoms and even suggested that it produced some reversal of the disease process. But there are two types of glucoseamine in the market. Those produced and sold in the EU must meet stricter drug standards as they are registered as drugs and are sold by prescription. Those that are produced outside the EU are not FDA regulated and are produced and sold as supplements, which do not require the strict and higher standards of drugs. BTW, Peter Gade takes glucoseamine regularly, and I presume it is prescription glucoseamine made in the EU.
Here is a snippet of research on glucosamine for chronic joint problems: An analysis of 15 different placebo vs. glucosamine trials showed that if you took 1500mg of glucosamine daily for three years you might reduce the narrowing of the space in your knee joint by 0.27mm. Richy F., Bruyere O., Ethgen O., et al: Structural and symptomatic efficacy of glucosamine and chondroitin in knee osteoarthritis. Arch Intern Med 163. 1514-1522.2003 For a person with healthy knees, that should sound like a lot of money and trouble for a miniscule benefit. For anyone with injury or arthritis already, it might sound like a worthwhile effort to slow deterioration. Besides, glucosamine has been shown to ease pain for some folks. Either way, I don't yet know how 'glucosamine for the summer' is going to do much cartilage repair for the average Joe Schmoe.
I agree that people with healthy joints should not waste their money on glucoseamine or other cures. My first exposure to glucoseamine was about 22 years ago when a general physician wrongly diagnosed from an ex-ray that I had an ankle fracture, afterwhich he referred me to a specialist. The specialist did a few more ex-rays and flatly told me that there was no fracture, only a case of worn cartilage, specifically narrowing of my medial right knee and lateral left knee compartment, articular margin osterphytosis of the knee joints, and that my tibial spines were spiked. Big words for a simple case for osteoarthritis of the knees. He then gave me a series of Viartril-S (European manufacture) glucoseamine injections into my knees plus some other treatments. It worked and I could continue to walk and play badminton for another 21 years, but now the discomfort and pain are coming back. I now take a 3-month course of Viartril-S glucoseamine in capsule form and then stopped for 6 months, afterwhich I continue the cycle again. I feel the injections are much more effective but they cost a lot of money because I would then have to see a specialist. The capsules form are more convenient but less effective. I have tried American and Canadian glucoseamine capsules, some with higher dosages of glucoseamine sulfate but I find them to be not as good, probably due to their low bioavailability to my knees despite the very high concentration of glucoseamine sulfate.
Thank you taneepak for your story. An honest experience is worth loads of vague claims. Hopefully some brilliant mind will find the secret as to why glucosamine helps some, but not all.
Master Fidget, how come Medicare doesn't include glucosamine injection? I only see hyaluronic acid offered and the specialists are very reluctant to give out this treatment. Are Canadians with knee problems short changed?
arrr... that is quite a time ago. feels uneasy with my joints. even now, from squat to stand-up, cracking sounds from my knee and heel still quite loud . btw, i am need some advices from master Oldhand, currently i am testing this. so far so good, any comments?
Peter the Great, Hyaluronic acid injections were hoped to be wonderful relief for much the same reasons as why glucosamine injections seem to make logical sense....you are putting cartilage ingredients into the joint. However the HA injections have been disappointing in some trials and many orthopods don't even bother with them anymore. The salubrious effect of HA injections (on statistical average) may be no better than injection of an inert fluid. That said, some folks still love them. To finally answer your question, glucosamine injections will be covered only if good quality trials show a highly significant benefit. ( btw: drug and procedure coverage in Canada is a provincial matter, not federal)
Please see the reply posted 34 minutes later by Master Fidget. That answer packs all the supplements you will ever need
Even if it were the Elixir of Life, I wouldn't ingest it if the packaging sports Chinese characters! Pets, babies... I don't want to be the next
That's really sucks! So at the end of the day, I still have to go private for alternative treatment . And Canadians get a tiny 15% medical tax credit that is subjected to restrictions.
Pete, I understand your feelings. The real cruelty is that arthritis is a really rotten condition that doesn't have an easy answer. It is not that your government is holding back manna from heaven. We'll keep hoping that the very smart people in the world will come up with something better soon.
That is why you should only consider glucoseamine sulfate manufactured in the EU because EU glucoseamine sulfate (like Viartril-S) is tested and regulated as a drug. You get quality assurance instead of questionable dietary type of supplement of glucoseamine sulfate from countries such as China, US, Canada, Australia, and many network marketing companies.
Maybe a treatment in sight? Let's hope clinical trial is a success! http://www.normanmarcusmd.com/index.html http://www.jhu.edu/JLAB/index.html
I recommend this supplement http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Glucosamine-Chondroitin-MSM-with-Vitamin-C it is best to take a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin and you should take it for several months before seeing any results. Very important to buy from highly reputable source (and vitacost is one of them) otherwise you may risk getting some impure and potentially dangerous stuff into your system.
The authority should be the NIH or NIAMS: http://www.niams.nih.gov/ I think glucosamine was touted as a health supplement, because the major composition of the joint cartilage in your knee is made of hyaline cartilage, of which are glycoaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid and collagen. And how glucosamine came into the picture, it's one of the building material in the biosynthesis pathway of knee cartilage together with other supplements like chondroitin sulfate. The ortho surgeon right now have no reliable way to treat damage in the cartilage beyond a certain lesion diameter since the cartilage grows poorly and it lacks blood supply. The prognosis is not good for larger lesions owing to donor site death of cells, pain and degeneration into OA. I think Barack Obama's stem cell bill should encourage more R&D and Clinical trials into stem cell treatment of OA.
