UKC

As far as I can make out there is no scientific evidence for its affectiveness ? However I know two people of a similar age to me who take it daily and have done for a while and after a biggish walk on the weekend both said that their knees were fine. Mine were not . All of us were using poles . So , I'm intrested to hear what people think , life saver or waste of time ? If you take it , what dose , where from etc .

In reply to mike123:
Never heard of it before, and this doesn't really persuade me to try it ...
http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/complementary-and-...


edit: someone who now has dodgy knees and ankles.

In reply to Lusk:
That link pretty much sums up my google research. However lots of people take it and as I said the two that I know don't get sore knees . So 100% of people in my survey report that glucosamine is highly effective in preventing knee pain in climbers and their slightly over weight friends .

In reply to mike123:

I take one tablet every morning. When I stop taking them my joints start to ache after a week or so. I'm 68. I don't care if they are psychological, placebos or witch craft they seem to work for me.

Science is often trying to catch up. Some years ago my son had ME and after being dismissed by the medical profession we went to an alternative medicine practice. She prescribed beetroot juice, the doctors laughed but it seemed to work and now science has caught up and is recognising that beetroot juice apparently improves blood flow.

Al

In reply to Lusk:

Hear about the arthritic Welshman who lived in a barrel?















Dai-dodgy-knees

In reply to GridNorth:
I think I am coming around to that way of thinking . If I take it and my knees stop hurting do I really care if " it doesn't work" .

In reply to mike123:

I have a friend who works for a major drug company. His view was that there is no good scientific evidence, but that is largely because it can't be patented so no-one will spend significant money researching.
So, it might work medically, but not commercially.

I'm 60 and have used glucosamine twice for about 6 months each time after I noticed some knee pain after a mountain walk.

Each time my knees have improved and I've returned to being pain free in the hills.

I use this stuff from ZipVit: www.zipvit.co.uk/glucosamine-1555/glucosamine-500mg-with-chondroitin-400mg.html

It's combined with chondroitin and is sourced from fish rather than waste bits of cattle.

In reply to GridNorth:

Some time ago I tried searching on the web for information and although there were some studies showing that it worked, there was nothing very convincing in the scientific literature but nothing suggesting it was dangerous to take either.

Personally I find it helps reduce knee pain and have several friends who find the same (we're all late 50s/early 60s). Anecdotal I know, but I'll keep taking the tablets

In reply to mike123:

Just go to examine.com

Tl;DR

They don't really have any statistically significant effect on their own.

Does it work for any kind of knee pain, or only specific types?

In reply to mike123:

There is a suspicion that it may be linked to Duptreyens Contracture, but evidence is anecdotal (as with it's benefits), presumably due to a lack of research/trials.

Depends if you are susceptible to DC (family history, viking blood!), but I stopped taking it when I realised I was starting to develop cords on my palms. Could be other factors of course - was doing a lot of climbing at the time, much less now - but things have gradually improved.

In reply to mike123:

It is one of the things in the dogs tablets. He seems happier. Who knows if it's placebo or whatever, it is probably worth a try.

In reply to marsbar:
Yes. Erm . thanks for that . ( did make me laugh , while slowly limping towards the coffee machine)

In reply to mike123:

Works well for me. I don't think it's a placebo because my mum gives it to her cat, he is old and stiff but there was a significant improvement and I'm sure the cat doesn't know he is on it.

In reply to mike123:

I take 1500mg a day and have noticed a significant difference in mobility and a loss of pain

maybe placebo but its working for me

In reply to WildCamper:

My wife has knee problems (meniscal tear and oncoming arthritis). She's used glucosamine and chondroitin tablets for a while, and we've just added rosehip, ginger and boswellia (frankincense) tablets to the mix, as Arthritis Research UK indicate might be useful. We've not been at all scientific about it - fairly pointless with a smaller size of 1 - just added one new type per week. At a couple of pence each it seems worth trying the lot!

As a wise man said, data is not the plural of anecdote. But what we've seen is that the boswellia seemed to have a reasonably clear effect; the others, rather less so. Could be worth a shot?

In reply to Dax H:
So, marsbars dog and your mums dog . Sold.
Thanks all for replys so far.

In reply to mike123:

I took it daily for over a year and it made no difference so I stopped.

In reply to WildCamper:


Placebo isn´t working for me, I need Placebo forte....

What helps me if my knees ore toes are acting up is a short course (2days max, normally one day is enough) of Diclofenac. Any other over the counter NSAID such as Ibuprofen would probably work as well, but it is important to nip any stress induced inflammation in the bud before the inflammation can in turn damage the tissue. Doing this four or five times a year will have no effect on my kidneys (or stomach for Ibuprofen).

CB

In reply to mike123:

Have used it in the past. Knee pain did go away. Was it due to the glucosamine? Dunno, but I'd try it again.

As has been mentioned it can be made from shellfish sources so beware if you have allergies. I prefer beef sourced making more use of those carcasses.

In reply to mike123:

If you're willing to try experiments to improve your knee health - then trying to drastically reduce your phytic acid consumption for a few weeks or months is another good one. Phytic acid is an "anti-nutrient", which means it binds to and absorbs other nutrients and minerals in your diet, and stops them being being able to be absorbed. The increased mineral availability should improve healing times for your cartilage, although I don't know by how much. I can say that I personally have noticed far less joint ache at my age when I reduce phytic acids (i.e. no wheat for a few days or weeks).

In reply to Chris the Tall:

I was pretty sold on buying some till i saw this, DC runs in my family and it may occur either in hands/feet or in some cases the base of your penis. I think ill stay well away

In reply to mike123:


Wow..... Mo Farah said he abstains from sex for a week before a marathon. Will I be able to run a sub 2:05 marathon if I to abstain from sex for a week before my marathon??? come to think of it I'll use the same brand of running shoes, that'll definitely mean a sub 2:05 time. World Record Marathon time here I come. :|

Or to put it simply... stop being silly.

In reply to Indy:

So a normal week then?

In reply to GridNorth:

I don't think science struggles to catch up with 'alternative' medicine.

In reply to mike123:

The following is based on best part of 4 years when a good proportion of my salary was derived from developing glucosamine based products. This doesn't make me an expert by any means but I had a vested interest and did a reasonable amount of research... I currently do all of my science-ing for a big pharma company.

Basically I didn't find any evidence glucosamine with or without chondroitin and MSM made any real difference. If you want to take the stuff try the tablets not the combination capsules that also contain omega3. Capsules and combination products tend to be over priced and often in my experience tend to contain cheaper fish oils.

In reply to Bulls Crack:

See my reference to beetroot juice. What's that if not catching up? Not that I'm suggesting alternative and this is on;y one example but as far as I can see the Doctor I experienced had a closed mind and that's not very scientific is it?

Al

In reply to mike123:



And my old dead dog too. It had 4 months o vastly improved mobility and function to the point of her climbing her last mountain, which she hadn't been able to do for 2 years. We used the green lip muscle variety. She died of something else.

In reply to GridNorth:

Took it for a good while after doing the Masca Gorge up and down one day dont think it made any difference so stopped wasting money on it At 82 my knees are fine ,climbing three days a week ,lots of walking and mountain biking and the odd session in the gym .Know lots of people who swear by it ,not found any scientific evidence to prove or disprove its effectiveness.

In reply to mike123:

+1 for the positive woofa result.

In reply to mike123:

There is some evidence that it is good for arthritis, and also helps improve memory in the elderly.

In reply to mike123:

It works. At least for me.

I've tested it on myself several times, and every time if I don't take Glucosamine for 1-2 weeks my knees and hips ache badly during and after walks. When I go back on it again, I'm back to normal.

I use Boots own brand which are fairly expensive but good quality, and they usually have a 3 for the price of 2 offer on, making the cost reasonable. I take one capsule in the morning and another before bedtime.

In reply to mike123: Celadrin works for me. Not sure I could walk without it.