Glucosamine and Osteoarthritis: problem with knee joints?

**armortec800** · 05-16-2004, 12:30 AM

As we know, our joints (especially the knees) are protected by a form of lubricant or cartilage. Any degenerative wear and tear of it will result in pains as we grow older.

I am terrified that this will be a problem for most sportmen, including badminton players. I saw many of them with knee bandages when they play. Even Bao CL also has some sort of bands during the TC.

I got some "squeaky knee joints" So I just started to pop Glucosamine as a health supplements and rub with Glucosamine ointment. Am I alone?

More information:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...ucosamine.html

**Dill** · 05-16-2004, 12:37 AM

Check here:

http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13343

**armortec800** · 05-16-2004, 05:07 AM

Thanks, I should have done a search.

Originally Posted by Dill

Check here:

http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13343

**bigredlemon** · 05-18-2004, 10:12 PM

3g of flax seed oil a day

**Badmintan** · 08-08-2007, 03:56 AM

I concur. Yeah Glucosamine definitely helps, but it's kinda expensive.

I always pop one in before a badminton game and did a lot of stretching.

One of my friends is doing research on jumping.....he did some biomechanical test on human cadaver's tendons....nasty stuff. The knee and ankle joints gets a lot of abuse and pounding from sudden lunges, stops and jump. Badminton is very hard on the legs.

A knee guard(neoprene) definitely a must if one jump smash a lot. Helps prolong our badminton lifespan

.

cheers

**ants** · 08-08-2007, 03:59 AM

Originally Posted by Badmintan

I concur. Yeah Glucosamine definitely helps, but it's kinda expensive.

I always pop one in before a badminton game and did a lot of stretching.

One of my friends is doing research on jumping.....he did some biomechanical test on human cadaver's tendons....nasty stuff. The knee and ankle joints gets a lot of abuse and pounding from sudden lunges, stops and jump. Badminton is very hard on the legs.

A knee guard(neoprene) definitely a must if one jump smash a lot. Helps prolong our badminton lifespan

.

cheers

Nasty stuffs huh? Care to share. Some pll are very ignorant. Even when they have knee and ankle problem.. they still want to prove that they are strong.

**fifteen luv** · 08-08-2007, 04:22 AM

Originally Posted by armortec800

As we know, our joints (especially the knees) are protected by a form of lubricant or cartilage. Any degenerative wear and tear of it will result in pains as we grow older.

I am terrified that this will be a problem for most sportmen, including badminton players. I saw many of them with knee bandages when they play. Even Bao CL also has some sort of bands during the TC.

I got some "squeaky knee joints" So I just started to pop Glucosamine as a health supplements and rub with Glucosamine ointment. Am I alone?

More information:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...ucosamine.html

I am with you. I take one pill in the morning and apply cream and the same in the evening. I started about six months ago.
The pain seem to be getting better.

***drifit*** · 08-08-2007, 05:16 AM

viva Viartril-S.........

**coachgary** · 08-08-2007, 06:26 AM

I dont take Glucosamine/chondroitin pill supplements for longer than six weeks. I begin to take them when my racquet shoulder suffers impingement, due to old injury. The problem usually flairs up towards the end of the season when, partly due probably to overuse, coaching/feeding when cold, and the fact that my gym sessions/workouts have tapered. By the end of the season my shoulder probably has an imbalance. Before the start of the next season I rest by playing less frequently, play badminton only once a week say, take the supplements for six weeks, and train in the gym to improve my rotator cuff/shoulder imbalance.
For me the supplements work, but probably only as part of the recuperation process. I visit a chinese doctor occasionally for deep massage therapy and accupuncture. He advises not to work tmy biceps too much as this shortens the tendons at the front of shoulder.

**Gollum** · 08-08-2007, 09:26 AM

The evidence for glucosamine is not compelling.

The most thorough trial, GAIT, showed no benefit compared to a placebo; a sub-group of patients with moderate to severe pain, however, benefited from taking a combined dose of glucosamine and chondroitin; but glucosamine alone did not have this effect. See this link for the full information about the trial:

http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/gait/qa.htm#c1

Despite this, glucosamine shows some promise, especially if combined with chondroitin. So far no significant side effects have been found, so these drugs are considered harmless. It is possible, however, that long-term side effects exist: no trials have followed patients over a lifetime.

The Arthritis Foundation recommends that sufferers of osteoarthritis try the following daily dose for 4 to 6 weeks, and discontinue if no improvement is found:

1500mg glucosamine
1200mg chondroitin sulphate

Source: Arthritis Today magazine, published by the Arthritis Foundation.

These are the doses used in GAIT. Chondroitin in particular is expensive, so combined supplements often contain pitifully low quantities.

Although it's much cheaper to take only glucosamine, don't forget that the GAIT trial showed no benefit whatsoever in glucosamine alone; the only benefit was in glucosamine combined with chondroitin (and only for sufferers of moderate to severe pain).

These supplements are not regulated as medicines, so buying a reliable product can be difficult. Check the doses.

Since I have knee and shoulder pain, I'm going to try this medication. Unless I see a clear improvement after 6 weeks, I will stop.

Some people carry on taking these supplements for years without any improvement, because they have heard that the effects take years to build up. There is no evidence for this. The drug manufacturer, however, will be delighted at your gullibility.

My advice: give it a try for a short period (at least one month, maximum two), then give up if you don't feel any improvement. Consult your doctor about a general plan for managing your pain: exercise programmes are often much more effective than drugs.

**stumblingfeet** · 08-08-2007, 10:53 AM

Fish oil all the way! It makes your joints feel so lubricated!

**Pete LSD** · 08-08-2007, 03:40 PM

Gucosamine is useful if it directly gets to where it is needed - intra-articular injection into the knees.

Oral capsules and tablets go down the gastrointestinal tract, making glucosamine a lot less effective.

**coachgary** · 08-09-2007, 04:19 AM

I suffer an irritable side effect of acid indigestion when taking glucosamine/chondroitin supplements, also sometimes get heart palpitations if taking the dosage over a long period. Maybe this has something to do with the effect on Blood Sugar levels . Seem to remember reading something on this a while back.

**gingerphil79** · 08-10-2007, 09:12 AM

I take fish oil tablets and the glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. With playing badminton and doing jogging, im worried about having bad joints especially knee, ankle and hips.

My left knee at the moment is giving me problems. Not really a pain but it just felt a bit stiff and as if something was moving inside but i know it was just the ligaments and not cartilage in there cause its almost gone now so happy days.

If in doubts with your joints in relation to pains and things of that same nature, go to your doctor and get him/her to check it out and possibly get a scan. Cartilage problems are a lot harder to fix than muscular problems.