bfloyd

I have heard that Glucosamine can aid to cyclists for the knee joints. I see that it comes with either Chondroitin and or msn. Is the one type better over the other for cyclists? Are there any side effects with these? Thanks.

stevelon

The use of this product may have some controversy, does it help or not. My family Dr. says I waste my money and it doesn't do a thing. Well maybe it's in my head and not body but the product (with Chondroitin ) really seems to help the old left knee.

EJ123

What about hyaluronic acid.

andre nickatina

i just had a thread similar to this.

works for me, you can be skeptical and lose out on the benefits but as for me, i'm sold.

Snuffleupagus

My physical therapist and orthopedic surgeon are in agreement that glucosamine does in fact work, but the chondroitin/MSM are snake oil additives, unproven to provide any real benefit.

FWIW, it helps my knees a great deal. I've had both knees operated on, and using the glucosamine supplements has been a big help. The surgeon even asked me if I'd been taking it when he cut the second knee, as the cartilage was in dramatically better shape than the first knee, even though the injuries were exactly the same.

bfloyd

Thanks for the replies. Anyone notice any side effects??

DonTx

I find that the ones with MSM work best for me, snake oil or not. Just the Glucosamine alone did not do very much, nor did the Glucosamine and Chondroitin, but add the MSM and it seems to work better.

rodrigaj

According to my PT, a minimum of 3 months is needed to evaluate these products.

Glucosamine did not work for me (arthritis).

I have just started trying the Glucosamine/Chondroitin combo. My PT and doctor believe it works for some people and not for others. In either case, it appears to be more than a placebo effect.

EJ123

No one has used the hyaluronic acid before??

bfloyd

I never heard of this before. What is it?

EJ123

It is a a non sulfated substance deal that has been claimed to help with joints very very effectivly. It's called Hyaluron I believe and offeres a whole wide range of benefits. Now Foods has a good one:

Here is theirs with MSM also.

roadbuzz

Doctor specifically recommended Gluco w/chond. I think studies have been going back and forth on this and don't know what the final verdict du jour is. Glucosamine Condroitin (sp?) works for me, but takes about 3 weeks for any noticable effects. Didn't notice any benefit from MSM, other than it seemed to have a mild laxative effect.

PIZZ

I've read that it's the Glucosamine Sulfate that actually helps and the MSM is indeed the one to avoid. I just got a bottle and i'm going to do my own trial run,... wait and see.

oilfreeandhappy

I read a book on the Glucosamine/Chondroitin. Unfortunately I don't remember the name. It was written by 3 doctors who espoused the combination. Evidently the Glucosamine is taken up by the joint, and the chondroitin is an enzyme that assists the reaction.

I've taken it for close to ten years now. Back then, my knees were popping quite a lot. This totally went away. Just recently, I started getting some small creaks again, along with a little soreness. But not too bad...

andre nickatina

as if that means everyone's experience with MSM is therefore irrelevent?

pseudo-skepticism is a non-sense paradigm.

bfloyd

Thanks for the info.

NoRacer

Usually there's a warning on the bottle about having allergies to shell fish--at least with some brands.

Tom Stormcrowe

For what it's worth...

My very old dog was on Glucosamine and it did help his Hip Displasia (Worn out hip joints), and I really don't think the Placebo Effect would apply to a dog.....

(Can't read the articles and couldn't comprehend speech other than a limited amount necessary for obedience after all!)

Glucosamine does stimulate bone ends to secrete lubricant and rebuild cartilage.

irish pat

I had bursitis in both my elbows and swelling. I started taking Glucosamine and chondroitinabout three months ago and a few weeks ago noticed that even scar tissue on my elbow from fluid build up was disappearing, I firmly believe in it.
Also Magnesium supplements have worked wonders, along with stretching, for my back pain.
I ride 250-300 miles a week.

gizmocat

YES, Glucosamine and Chonditrin work for me! I'd also recommend Potassium for muscle pains. Magnesium, I believe, only works when combined with calcium?

qwerty37

Glucosamine, Condroitin & MSM work for me. Been taking them for a bunch of years now and have minimal joint pain. I take 750mg Glucosaming, 600mg Condroitin, and 1500mg MSM 2x a day. Before I started taking them I always complained about my joints hurting. The pain was getting so bad I went to a sports orthopedic specialist. This doctor told me about these, he told me he couldn't guarantee anything but it may be worth it for me to try, at least it wouldn't hurt. Didn't notice any huge change at first, but slowly my joint pain started to go away. Now at 52 my joints feel fine.

Al.canoe

My Orthopedic surgeon about 9 years ago indicated that glucosamine does work for some conditions and condroitin works only if injected directly into the joint. I have read several articles that indicate that MSM is useless.

My wife gets relief with glucosamine from arthritis in her fingers and I get relief for shoulder pain where I had an operation back in '98. I have read that some doctors take it as a preventive therapy to keep their joints healthy. There's no evidence that taking it that way does any good.

Never have come across any thing on side affects. A google search might be a good idea to see what's out there.

Al

Nickel

I've heard both good and bad results and probably will vary by individual. I have started taking a packet of glucosamine + vitamins for breakfast as a preventative.

Because these are just sugar molecules, the only real risk seems to be to individuals who have diabetes because it can raise blood-sugar levels.

If anyone cares:
The extracellular matrix is secreted by cells and fills up all the empty space. One of the main components are long repeating sugars. Glucosamine is one of these sugars. Depending on the second sugar, how they are linked, and addition of sulfur groups determines the overall type of chain: hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate, or keratan sulfate.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv...c4.figgrp.3543

The mechanism of how taking these helps is unknown but there are other examples of similar outcomes (eating yogurt helps prevent yeast infections but how?). It seems like a cheap alternative for an everyday pain that has minimal side effects.

bac

For those on Glucosamine and Chonditrin, what is your dosage? How many pills do you have to take each day? ThanX!

... Brad

umassned

I actually did a research project on Glucosamine and chondoitin last year. All of the studies we cited show 2-4% increase over placebo with glucosamine and about 6% with the combo, these are not great results compared with placebo which as I recall had a 60ish% success rate. Our final conclussion was basically try it if you can afford to and if it works well keep taking it. When I get home I'll see if I can dig up my works cited or try www.pubmed.com .