Training & Nutrition - creaky joints

I've just started to get very creaky joints this year. I'm a 27 year old active female. I'm at a healthy weight. I excersise about 5 days a week, cardio and strenghtening. I warmup and stretch before workouts, and I stretch after too.

I get a stiff feeling after being in one position for too long. I'm really creaking in my hip and knees when I get out of bed. After sitting in my chair too long at work, I get creaky hips when I stand up. Luckily there is no pain, yet.

DO I have the start of arthritis? THere's no burning or swelling, just stiffness. I do take a calcium supplement because I'm lactose intolerant and can't get calcium everyday through foods.

Is there something I should do to prevent what ever this is I have? I can give yoga a try again, but it seemed to bore me and took too long.

Or is it aging? I have been extremely active this year, more so than any other year of my life.

Hi Shannon

I experienced the same symptoms about 18 months ago. In my case it got so painfull I finally had to seem my doctor.

What I was told is that my body was no longer producing enough of the fluid that serves as lubrication for the cartilage in my joints. This is actually a precursor to an arthritic condition. Most people simply don't notice it because they aren't active enough. Cyclists, especially those of us who ride far and often are the exception, we notice it it the knees first, then the hips, and next will be the ankles.

My doctor suggested that I start using an OTC product called Arthri-Flex. This is a glucosamine/chondroitin suppliment that is specifically formulated to lubricate the joints and cartilage. After using it for over a year I'm very happy with it. The pain, while not entirely gone has been significantly reduced. In fact, I was even able to do some century rides again this summer. I had to give them up last year because it hurt too bad.

If you would like to learn more about Arthri-Flex it is made by a company in the USA called 21st Century Health Care (http://www.21stcenturyvitamins.com) I buy mine at my local Kmart store for $20.00 for a bottle of 120 pills which is a four month supply.

Randy

Seconded for glucose/chondroitin. Also, find a product with MSM, a sulfur derivative.

They are the 3 basic ingredient to any good arthtritic/joint formula. Don't stress if they don't work for 2-3 weeks, but you should see results after this time lapse.

I was starting to get pain in my hip - had it about a year before I found out it was becoming arthritic. Thought I was just having trouble loosening it up. Started taking Tri-flex by GNC which has the Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM and have zero pain after taking it for about three weeks.

Hi,
the most effective form of glucaosamine is glucosamine sulfate. That is what I take; and it's all I take. I don't think Chondroiten will either help you or hurt you. I have some doubts about MSM.

I am right there with you, 25/m, my knees and ankles are shoot from soccer
I take 2000mg of glucosamine sulfate and 1000mg of MSM (my wife takes 2000mg of MSM) daily
I found it is cheaper to buy them separately
It helps, it just takes about 3-4 weeks of medication before the full effects can be seen
I must say that I have never taken chondroitin, it is not that i have anything against it, it is just that i cant afford anymore medications
hope you feel better

another vote for glucosamine chondroitin. Also, epidemiolgical data suggest high intake of fruits and vit c seem to correlate with a decrease in overal incidence of progressive osteoarthritis.

av8or and wjcronin2002 both spoke of pain with their stiff joints. I do not have pain. How do I know we have the same condition? Did yours start out painless and then get progressively painful?

Should I see a doctor before I start taking pills? What kind of (specialty or not) doctor would that be?

I am anaphylactic to all non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). Are there any anti-inflammtory properties in these supplements?

Thanks

Think of the up side here folks. Soon we will be able to go and have all our aching joints replaced with Titanium ones. Maybe even Litespeed will pioneer some of this market ;)

Man, I don't want to have to take another pill for the rest of my life. I was hoping I could change my diet and fix it, but I already get lots of veggies/fruits.

Bummer.

Thanks everyone. I'll all about prevention, so I'm going to look into those supplements.

Man, I don't want to have to take another pill for the rest of my life. I was hoping I could change my diet and fix it, but I already get lots of veggies/fruits.

Bummer.

Thanks everyone. I'll all about prevention, so I'm going to look into those supplements.

I hear you. I hate to see these poor older people whose lives rotate around what times they have to take each of their pills. When I have to buy a special little pill organizer with days and times printed on the compartments I think I'll go free climb El Capitan and go for one last ride before fizzling out.

av8or and wjcronin2002 both spoke of pain with their stiff joints. I do not have pain. How do I know we have the same condition? Did yours start out painless and then get progressively painful?

Should I see a doctor before I start taking pills? What kind of (specialty or not) doctor would that be?

I am anaphylactic to all non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). Are there any anti-inflammtory properties in these supplements?

Thanks

no NSAIds. It is not considered a drug. More of a food supplement. No liver or kidney effects. No reason to see a doc for this particular supplement, and it has do drug drug interactions.

av8or and wjcronin2002 both spoke of pain with their stiff joints. I do not have pain. How do I know we have the same condition? Did yours start out painless and then get progressively painful?

Thanks

I guess I should have clarified that a little better in my initial reply. Initially I simply had stiffness in my knees, hips, and one ankle, that was perhaps 4 years ago. Essentially what you are having now. In my case I was stupid and ignored it until it got painful, so painful (last year) that cycling was no longer enjoyable for me and I dreaded riding distances as short as 10 miles. As a result I pretty much stopped riding my bike. But that created other problems, :( mainly weight gain.

Weight loss was the main reason I started cycling in the first place. Back in 1992 I weighed 335 lbs. I made up my mind to get rid of all that lard so I took up cycling and over the course of the next 5 years got down to a healthy weight of 180. :) Since I didn't want to get fat again, and because at some point along that time line I discovered that I really love bike riding, I opted to get the advise of a doctor to find out why I was in so much pain. There is no history of arthritis in my family so I really didn't know what was wrong with me and I was rather surprised when I found out.

Randy

I guess I should have clarified that a little better in my initial reply. Initially I simply had stiffness in my knees, hips, and one ankle, that was perhaps 4 years ago. Essentially what you are having now. In my case I was stupid and ignored it until it got painful, so painful (last year) that cycling was no longer enjoyable for me and I dreaded riding distances as short as 10 miles. As a result I pretty much stopped riding my bike. But that created other problems, :( mainly weight gain.


Randy

Shannon - "ditto" what av8or posted. It wasn't really a pain, it was stiffness. For the longest time I reallythought it was a muscle/stretching issue. I felt it most when I got up in the morning or sat for long periods of time.

Hi,
the most effective form of glucaosamine is glucosamine sulfate. That is what I take; and it's all I take. I don't think Chondroiten will either help you or hurt you. I have some doubts about MSM.

The most effective form of glucosamine is HCl, but it has been shown to elevate resting blood pressure. The demographic who are interested in joint health are also usually interested in low blood pressure, so very few HCl products are marketed. The difference isn't worth the worry.

Chondroitin has a synergistic effect with glucosamine. It is noticeable.

MSM definitely works. It is derived from a product called DMSO. Some still use DMSO directly on joints which does work but has some unwanted side affects and risks.

I have moderate arthritis in both knees, and Glucosamine/Chondroitin has really worked for me. I have been taking it three times a day for about three months now. It took about two months for it to kick in, but once it did, the soreness in my knees almost completely went away. My doc recommended this, and also said it would be good if I also lost some weight. I weigh 190 and am trying to get down to 175. He said that every pound in your body translates into four pounds at the knee when you walk, so a 10-15 pound weight reduction can be significant. He also said biking is an excellent exercise for arthritic knees. The pumping action compresses the cartiledge (which is like a spunge) and then lets the fluid back in. People who are sedentary don't get this benefit, and their knee cartilege dries out and deteriorates.

Don't know the specifics of health benifits of cycling as you describe... However I do know I can go a lot further cycling than running :)

The young folks I ride with (the 25-30 year olds) are all tri-geeks and always try to get me sucked in. I can run some but it messes up my left ITB and lower back.

I'm trying the Glucos/Chon route as a deterrent as I've been doing several 200km, 250km and 300km rides (130, 160 and 190miles) and don't want to destroy me knees because of it.

I lost 60lbs when I started riding for sport in 1995 and it has made a big difference in many ways. I'm trying to sustain 175 now, holidays are going to make it tough :(

I would recommend cycling as the best way to get exercise that is the least hurting to the knees...

BUT make sure you study a lot about bike setup, shoes and pedals, seat position and such as a bad setup can do damage to your knees. To me the #1 rule is make sure any part of your body that touches the bike along with the position and angle of the legs are detailed exactly for you! The bike can be a klunker, ok no it cant :) but you gotta make sure that you are sitting on it right!

I recently saw an article in my local paper about Montmorency tart cherries. According to the University of Texas Health Science Center, these cherries contain significant quantities of melatonin, a powerful anti-inflamatory antioxidfent. They also contain bioflavonoids, which are stronger than aspirin for releiving pain. These cherries are available dried, canned and frozen, and in tart cherry juice concentrate and ready to drink cherry juice. For more info, visit www.usacherries.com. I haven't tried this yet, but I think I will.