Joint Supplements

[oscarsmum]

I wondered if anyone who has had surgery to slow down or hopefully prevent future Arthritis (eg PAO, FAI scopes etc) have been recommended,or decided themselves, to take joint supplements? Do you think they help, or is the surgery itself enough?
Just curious,lol
Kate x

[Janet]

I'm glad you asked that question Kate, as I've been wondering about that too, now that I've started to get cartilage damage. It's so difficult to know whether supplements really do work. I guess there would be no harm in taking them, but the good quality glucosamine and chondroitin ones can be expensive. However, I'd quite happily pay for and take them if they were really going to make a difference. Any thoughts anyone?
Janet x

[missiongirl]

I think so. I take MSM & Glucosamine (sp?) Here is a link you might find interesting to read up on it and how it can relate to sports injuries, arthritis & osteoarthritis http://www.msmguide.com/

My husband also takes it as his thumbs click and it hurts him. When he takes it he does well. If he stops they start clicking again so he's sold on it. I didnt notice much diff in taking it pre-op but post op I could. There are a lot of products out there to choose from. I use one made in Canada called Purica recovery...It has a bunch of other natural stuff in it too.

MG

[oscarsmum]

Thanks, just wondering whether they would be worth trying or a complete waste of money,lol.
I used Glucosamine and Chondroitin (sp?) for one of our old ponies, and have just started my dog on it as he was struggling to walk far and to get up. I have seen great results with both of them (dog like a puppy again) but am too mean to spend the money on myself (typical) unless I can guarrantee results.. I just want to do everything I can to get my hips functioning as well as possible for as long as possible. I have read about MSM too MG thanks, how long do you need to take it for to start to get results? In the link you posted it said that it is also used for Allergies, I didn't know that. I get really bad hayfever in the summer so might just try it to see if it helps with that as well as the hips.
Kate

[missiongirl]

I started taking it again around March. Like I said i had taken it previously pre-op and I did not find it made a diff so I was feeling it was a waste of my time & lost interest. I did notice a diff post-op though and was pleasantly surprised. I found it started helping by around week 3 for me and improved more so as time went on...thought it was me healing from surgery. I have heard it can take anywhere from 1 - 4 months to take affect for some..guess it just depends on you lol! My husband noticed a difference in 2 weeks (he had an audible click in his thumbs). I thought those results were crazy fast & thought it was in his head. When he stops..they start up again in a few weeks. I think it is something one just takes all the time for quite awhile...I could be wrong as I haven't been to the herbal store to discuss it since pre-op..so I'm rusty.

Awesome about your animals doing so great on it! I know I can't believe how silly we can be not doing things for ourselves but we'll turn around & invest in someone or something else...is it a girl thing LO?!! I didnt' know about the allergie thing either...I have allergies as well. I found they still need to be treated but they have been less severe than last year..thought maybe it was my new house keepers doing a better job than me LMAO (and I"m so going to stick with that cause it's been a super treat!)

[Kiwi]

I will be starting on Tart Cherry Juice today...supposedly good for muscle pain, arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia and sleeping problems among other things.
I tried glucosamine/chondroitin as I have seen it do amazing things in my line of work as a vet nurse, though I was never particularly good at remembering to take them and the fact they were so enormous made it almost impossible for me to take. Needless to say it didn't work for me.
Will update on how the tart cherry juice goes...I hope I like it!

[Vixen]

Dont expect much........

SEEN by ageing baby boomers as a miracle elixir for creaking or swollen joints, arthritic pain and general "wear and tear", bottles of glucosamine supplements have been marching off the shelves of the nation's health food stores, supermarkets and pharmacies.

Glucosamine is one of Australia's highest-selling health supplements ? worth more than $90 million a year ? yet remarkably, given its popularity, clinical trials have found that most formulations are ineffective.

People take glucosamine for osteoarthritis, a chronic condition that destroys bone joints and afflicts an estimated 1.3 million people in Australia. The number of people suffering the degenerative condition is expected to more than double in the next 30 years.

Despite clinical trial findings that many of the supplements do not work, manufacturers continue to claim that their product ? usually made from prawn and other crustacean shells ? consistently "alleviates symptoms," has been "scientifically proven to regenerate cartilage and synovial fluid" and "has been shown to slow the progression of joint damage in osteoarthritis".

Drug industry critic Ken Harvey has warned the federal Health Department's complaints resolution panel that glucosamine advertisements by Symbion, Blackmores and Doctors' Selection are inaccurate and misleading and could waste consumers' money.

Dr Harvey, of La Trobe University's school of public health, said some of the advertising claims were extravagant and were not backed by scientific evidence.

"There currently is no good evidence that any Australian preparation works, although there is some evidence overseas that one might," he said. "It really is an indictment of the Australian regulatory system that a product that is so popular and has such a high market share of complementary medicines has not been properly evaluated."

Vicki Kotsirilos, of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association, said clinical studies indicated that glucosamine hydrochloride did not work. Other trials showed that a particular glucosamine sulphate might have some effect, but further research was needed, she said.

Dr Kotsirilos added that Australia's system of dealing with complaints about the advertising of complementary medicines needed beefing up.

Federal parliamentary health secretary Jan McLucas last week agreed, saying the current system lacked enforcement powers.

"It's very clear to me that we have to look at the whole process, including the advertising process," she said.

Consumers seem more than willing to swallow the claims made by manufacturers when it comes to glucosamine.

While thousands of people who suffer joint pain religiously take their tablets and capsules daily, the few independent clinical trials that have taken place question the benefits.

A study by Boston University last year concluded that glucosamine hydrochloride "is not effective" and that independent studies showed the other popular form, glucosamine sulphate, "has no effect", though there were too few trials to confirm this. Another study found that glucosamine sulphate "may be effective" in improving the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee but that more research was needed.

Wendy Morrow, executive director of the Complementary Healthcare Council, said Dr Harvey's evidence was biased and misleading and that the supplement worked for large numbers of people. Guidelines issued by the Therapeutic Goods Administration meant manufacturers had to have evidence to support the claims they made, she said.

Sydney's George Institute for International Health is examining the effect of glucosamine sulphate in a trial of 600 patients with knee osteoarthritis. The trial, which is still recruiting patients, will compare the benefits of glucosamine sulphate, a supplement extracted from cow and shark cartilage called chondroitin, and a combination of the two with a placebo, or fake, drug. The results are expected to be known in three years.

Dr Marlene Fransen, who is leading the study, said osteoarthritis was responsible for more disability in the daily lives of people aged over 50 than any other disease.

The biggest trial of glucosamine hydrochloride, involving 1600 people with arthritic knees, was conducted in 2006 in the United States by the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

The trial compared the results of glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulphate, and a combination of the two, with a placebo.

Dr Harvey said the trial found no significant difference between the groups who took the supplements and the placebo. However, a small subgroup with moderate to severe knee pain did report significant relief when taking the combined glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulphate.

Dr Harvey also said that Australia's Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee had warned that glucosamine could interact adversely with the blood-thinning medication warfarin. However, many glucosamine products lacked this warning and one manufacturer denied the risk on its website.

[oscarsmum]

Thanks everyone for their replies. I guess the juries out then and itd down to the individual. I tried pre-op too, thjough didn't remember to take them often enough, and also didn't see how they would work if the bony abnormalities were still present. Will give them a go and let you all know in a couple of months. Kiwi, keep us updated on the Tart Cherry Juice too.
Kate x

[missiongirl]

Thanks for sharing that article Vixen. I thought it was bunk as well having taken it pre-op for some time & noticed no difference...& it is expensive. I had started taking it again, particularly the Purica stuff I take since it was also designed for skin conditions (as I have very mild psoriasis on my elbows - came out when I was in so much pain). I had not been sold on it from me earlier experience. In the meantime my husband starting taking the liquid form (not my brand) for his thumbs. His thumbs do not make the audible click when he takes it daily. I think that is why I have some faith in it and continue to take it........what the heck.

[aldo4836]

MSM supplement is a good choice for joint, and MSM supplement can relieve inflammation and reduce pain as well.