A massive industry out there supplying them, and I often wonder if a lot of it is psychosomatic, so if you think a supplement is aiding your condition, whether it physically is or not, then you feel the better for it. There seems very little scientifically proven evidence out there.
My left hip hurts like chuff ( pardon the expression) in damp conditions and high humidity. Many years ago scrapings of bone were taken off it for insertion into my fractured right scaphoid. It didn’t work so goodbye tennis and squash. My right hip, and knees, are still 100% despite thousands of miles backpacking and long distance walking....think consecutive 25/30 mile walks over a weekend when I regularly enjoyed ‘Challenge Walks’ until only about 6 years ago.
For a few years until 2017 I took quantities of glucosamine and chondroitin, and when I decided to stop these supplements to see what would happen, nothing did! Condition remained the same.
Does anyone take curcumin which is supposed to help, and ginger allegedly helps with the absorption? I’m not quite ready to go and live in a climate with super low humidity aka Arizona or Nevada, but it’s a pain at the moment causing me to hobble and limp, which then upsets my back.
Only two more sleeps until 8 weeks on the Costa Blanca where although the humidity is only slightly lower, the blue skies and regular G & Ts have a beneficial effect.
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I have been giving herbal remedy to my dog (glucosamine, chondroitin,vit C, zinc and boswellia extract) for his mobility problems and he is much improved - I think we can rule out placebo!
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My sympathies. I take it that it is Osteoarthritis that you have. I don’t think any of these so called cures works. Any improvement is likely to be in the mind. In my experience the thing that helps is low impact exercise and anti inflammatories but as you know there is no cure. At the end of the day you just have to accept the situation. I know a lot of people claim that a dry climate helps but I’m not even sure that there is anything in that. My knee hurts as much in Greece as it does in Norfolk. I rather think there are as many people with osteoarthritis in Arizona as there are in Maine!
I wonder whether it is time to ease up on the walking a bit. You might be causing your hip to deteriorate at a faster rate than perhaps it would otherwise. Just pushing on through the pain is not a good idea! Personally I find swimming and walking reasonable distance on the flat to be the best exercise. I rather think it doesn’t apply to you but losing weight takes a lot of load off the joints.
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Slightly off topic but I know someone who had horrendous knee joint pain.
He used to spray, I kid you not, WD 40 onto his knee every morning and absolutely swore that it made a difference!
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Did he grease his nipples too?
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My sister has osteoarthritis that affects her knees. She claims that CBD oil eases the symptoms. Sold in lots of places on the Costa Blanca where she lives.
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CBD oil is perfectly legal.
It's cannabis oil minus the THC. I've yet to have a patient come back and say it helped much.
OA is an incurable degenerative condition which is often painful. It does sometimes burn itself out and stop being sore, particularly in smaller joints such as fingers.
Lots of the herbal/alternative remedies for OA are scientifically questionable.
They 'work' in 3 main ways:
1. Placebo effect - this is a real change in symptoms because you believe something will work
2. Distraction - it causes a different sensation which 'dilutes' the pain messages such as heat from chilli cream, or the simple act of rubbing/massaging (which is what you do if you whack your shin on the edge of the bed for example)
3. Luck - people generally try something when symptoms have flared - as the symptoms will likely subsequently 'unflare', anything they do may be seen to improve them.
Equally lots of the medical remedies are pretty poor also - limited evidence for paracetamol, opiates and anti-inflammatories for OA pain.
Keep using the joint and if it becomes completely FUBARed consider replacing (not without risk of course), and try to focus on the other 90% of you that still works fine.
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Thanks all. I gave up competitive sports many years ago, although a few of my Thursday walking friends still play 5 a side in their late 60s.
I live in a beautiful part of the world and often walk from my back door when conditions are dry/clement. Unfortunately the walks are getting shorter, the 25 mile + challenge walks a very distant memory. Mustn’t grumble. Thursday walks with friends are very sedentary, anything from 5 to 12 leisurely miles, and the beauty of modern ultra light backpacking kit is that I can continue to do that, albeit much shorter daily distances.
I’m sure that using trekking poles since 1997 when carrying a pack, or when there is plenty of up & down has saved my knees.
I’m not overweight ( much) and very aware of carrying excess lard around. I may even lose a good half stone on my imminent trip to the Costa Blanca...less beer, more gin and daily walks & exercise...frisbee throwing, beach volleyball, kayaking in the better weather.
Hip replacement is the final solution.
I won’t bother with any supplements
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Glucosamine works for me, for two of my relatives, and for a lady who was in pain with her swollen finger joints. The pain came back if she stopped. Her joints are still swollen, but a bit less, and there is now no pain.
They also worked for a woman with an artificial hip (!) on which the outside muscle swelled, and hurt, if she went dancing. She carried on dancing.
And for a man who got to where he could not lift his arms very high due to pain. I asked how he was getting on with the glucosamine. " I'me OK now, he said. I have just redecorated my kitchen.
Glucosamine is now recognised as a medicine and is controlled by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Sold as a herbal supliment, as opposed to a medicine, it is now restricted to a tablet size of 1.178mg of base glucosamine. Funny number.
I took 1gm a day for a long while due to a back pain, but eventually I had to increase it to 2mg -- and that is/was the usual recommended daily dose.
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I'm glad it works for you but the scientific evidenc3 sadly points the other way.
www.nhs.uk/news/food-and-diet/osteoarthritis-supplement-study/
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I can certify that WD40 does help relieve OA pain but I have not persisted with it for fear of dermatitis, as I have a dodgy skin (the latest of several samples being sent for biopsy only three days ago). Zipvit blume glucosomine and emu oil gel also helps (maybe due the witchcraft element of the oil). Painful cortisone injections have gone on to help relieve the pain and sheer inconvenience of trigger fingers.
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The are several types of Glucosamine. Some made from shell fish. Some made without using shellfish. Some are Glucosamine sulphate. Some are Glucosamine hydrochloride (HCI). This last one is what was used in the cases I specified. Glucosamine HCI.
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No scientific evidence fo any of them helping with osteoarthritis though unfortunately.
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Next up:
"We've had enough of experts" and "Homeopathy really works"
;-)
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"Homeopathy really does work”
but only in small doses. :-)
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>>"This popular headline (claiming that WD-40 is beneficial for arthritis) is completely FALSE. WD-40 Company does not recommend the use of WD-40 for medical purposes and knows no reason why WD-40 would be effective for arthritis pain relief. WD-40 contains petroleum distillates and should be handled with the same precautions for any product containing this type of material."
One of its 'off label' uses when I was a kid was as a long range flamethrower for torching wasp nests.
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Does anyone still take cod liver oil? As a nipper I had a spoonful every day. Hated it. Dunno if it’s any good, but oily fish in the diet is recommended. I have half a tin of sardines in tomato sauce on toasted rye bread twice a week. Can’t do any harm.
I’ll report back on the hip pain from the Costa Blanca in a week. Different diet, more sun, lower humidity and change of alcohol!
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Mackerel or salmon are usually somewhere in my diet each week.
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Same here. Plus lots of first pressing olive oil. Essentially a Mediterranean diet.
Company quack at my wifes employer was always impressed by her test results after the yearly medical.
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Most of the tests, may be all of them, have been on the sulphate variety. The type I used is of fairly recent origin -- few years -- and is patented. Although readily available.
The lady with the swollen knuckles, was so convinced she was cured of pain, after 12 months, she stopped taking them -- but the pain came back.
Some Glucosamine also occurs naturally in the body's connective tissues.
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I’m on the C Blanca now, and although humidity isn’t at particularly low levels, it’s lower than the Y Dales. Sun most of the day, little wind, temps low 60s and the hip pain although still present is definitely easing. Not massively so, but noticeable. And it isn’t psychosomatic.
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Not true I'm afraid. The trialI referred to included both types separately and in combination
There were at least 100 randomised patients in the trials compared with your anecdotal cases. Full details here for which this is the conclusion
"Our findings indicate that glucosamine, chondroitin, and their combination do not result in a relevant reduction of joint pain nor affect joint space narrowing compared with placebo. Some patients, however, are convinced that these preparations are beneficial,57 which might be because of the natural course of osteoarthritis, regression to the mean, or the placebo effect.58 We are confident that neither of the preparations is dangerous. Therefore, we see no harm in having patients continue these preparations as long as they perceive a benefit and cover the costs of treatment themselves.57 Coverage of costs by health authorities or health insurers for these preparations and novel prescriptions to patients who have not received other treatments should be discouraged."
www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c4675
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Herbal remedies - Paul Robinson
