Joint Care Supps

I have creaky knees and my shoulder joints arent the happiest at times either, So, I'm figuring on taking a joint care supp again.

I originally used Healthspan Joint Care, which was alright, but I notice there are a lot of other things that help out other than just Glucosamine.

Does anyone have any particularly landmark experiences ?
At the moment I'm slanting toward H&Bs fish oil caps, since they are on offer. However I'm not sure about glucosamine, healthspan do a fairly cheap basic dose one.

Any recommendations ?

 

I take Osteo Bi-Flex, which is a Glucosamine/Chondroitin combo, & I also take MSM (Methylsulfanomethane) pills, and Norwegian Cod Liver Oil caps. Works well for me, and got me off the nasty NSAIDS they had me on.

 

I take the Healthspan ChondroMax.

ChondroMax gives the combination of 500mg Glucosamine & 400mg Chondroitin.

I also take the Healthspan Omega 3 Concentrated Capsules - these give 130mg DHA & 200mg EPA.

When I last reviewed this, it seemed that IMHO this combination would give the biggest bang for my bucks.

 

I take linseed oil and ginseng (being vegetarian I can't take glucosamine) and they're doing the job so far.

 

I don't have first hand experience but on several Bodybuilding forums I am on Cissus or Max Cissus has had some positive results. For those that have taken both Glucosamine/Chondroitin and Cissus, the Cissus appears to be the better of the 2.

Just my opinion though...

 

I've also heard about Cissus, but have no personal experience.

For me, I use Fish Oil, glucosamine/chondroiton/msm and Celadrin.

 

Thanks for the information!

 

I just started taking hyaluronic acid. I'll let you know how it's working in a couple weeks. Do some research on it. It's pretty interesting what it's supposed to do for you.

 

I'd talk to your GP if I were you and find out what is wrong with you before wasting money on supplements.
I had a bad knee for ages and was taking Glucosamine/Chondroitin for it which seemed to help. I finally got annoyed with it flaring up and got it diagnosed by a physio, turns out I had muscular problems, not joint ones so the the G/C would've done sod all to help me - yeh for the placebo effect though!

 

Ginger root is another option. I know it often helps with arthritis symptoms.

 

Joint problems/supplements

I have Osteoarthritis in both knees and have seen consultants twice, one upon referral, secondly as part of an annual follow up to check further deterioation. Both have stated that they view Glucosamine Sulphate supplements as an expensive waste of money. There is apparently no reliable clinical evidence that taking the stuff works as there are problems with absorption; in short it just gets flushed out of the body. Problems I think with molecule size. I took it with Chondroitin and on its own for a year (1000mg tablets); didn't do a thing for me. However 2 Ibuprofen before training and a couple of Paracetemol works wonders. Basically if you have joint problems your stuck with them I believe; much of what we are by the 'Health Industry' is exaggerated.

 

I use fish oil.

 

I had an ongoing knee problem for the last few months that was just getting worse each week. Although I did continue training during it all (I know rest probably would have helped, but I can't really sit still long enough to do it), I have recently begun taking a mixture of Chondroitin and Glucosamine, and Calcium tablets at the same time, and in the last week since I started the tablets, the pain has dramatically reduced..I hope in a week or two to be back at 100%, and I credit the Chondroitin...Great stuff..

Only down side is the slightly higher cost...But it's still way cheaper than surgery, and at this stage, far better for me..It did the job perfectly for me..

On the off chance that it might have been a muscle inbalance, or the way I sit at my desk I have been working harder in training for legs and using squats with good form to correct any inbalance, and have changed my sitting posture...Which may well have been a good push in the way it feels now..

Hate having to worry about knees...

 

I second what Tartovski said. Knees are such complex joints, and even small imbalances can cause huge problems. I have alway had problems with my knees, I have gena valvus(?) where the angle between my upper and lower leg in not straight (lower leg is slighty more outward), and both knees can hyper extend, which has resulted in patella tracking disorder (the knee cap does move right when I move my knee, causing a lot of pain). This puts a lot of pressure on different parts of my knee.

Because it is not a ball and socket joint, it relies soley on muslces, ligaments and cartlidge to hold it in place, and ontop of that having to support the most weight any joint in your body has to, makes it one of the most unstable joints in the body.

Your best bet if you didn't do something that would have hurt it, and there is pain, see a physio or sport injury doc. The longer you try and persist, the more damage you could be doing. My bro just had duel knee reconstructions because he had worn down the cartiledge too much.