Supplements For Arthritis And Joint Pain
Many people take vitamins and supplements to help ease joint pain and arthritis. How effective are these supplements? Here are tips to help you choose the right supplements for your joints.
Arthritis Joint Pain: Supplements and Herbs
Some people use supplements to try to help manage joint pain from arthritis. Glucosamine, chondroitin, omega-3, and green tea are just a few of them.
Glucosamine
Glucosamine helps keep the cartilage in joints healthy and may have an anti-inflammatory effect. Natural glucosamine levels drop as people age.
Chondroitin
Chondroitin is often used with glucosamine as an osteoarthritis treatment. Researchers found that chondroitin appeared to reduce pain, increase joint mobility, and decrease the need for painkillers.
The research into the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis symptoms is mixed. Doctors do not recommend these supplements but are not opposed to their use if a patient gets relief from using them. Doctors recommend against using glucosamine hydrochloride.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil and other foods, encourage the body to produce chemicals that help control inflammation. This supplement may help ease stiffness caused by inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis, but more research is needed.
Curcumin and/or Boswellia serrata
Curcumin and/or Boswellia serrata provides relief for people with osteoarthritis of the knee. They have anti-inflammatory properties.
How Rosehip Supplements Reduce Knee Pain
Rosehips contain a pain-killing complex of galactolipids which have an aspirin-like ability to inhibit two enzymes involved in the generation of pain and inflammation. They do this through a different mechanism to aspirin so rosehips do not cause the same intestinal side effects.
Galactolipids isolated from rosehips also inhibit the activity of inflammatory white blood cells, and lower levels of inflammatory markers in the blood. Reducing the movement of inflammatory cells into joints can reduce both pain and stiffness.
Manganese For Synovial Fluid Support
The mineral manganese, which you can usually get from oysters, whole grains, soybeans, leafy vegetables, nuts, spices, and tea, is needed for producing an important amino acid that plays a major role in collagen formation. You can safely take up to 11 mg of manganese per day as an adult.
Manganese has another important role in the proper function of joints. It helps in the production of synovial fluid. Studies have found a link between manganese deficiency and lower hyaluronic acid levels.
Manganese also helps in the absorption of glucosamine, another important chemical in the body that works to build ligaments, cartilage, and tendons.
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Who Should Avoid Supplements And Vitamins
Supplements are not a good idea for people with some kinds of health conditions. They also can keep some medications from working as well as they should. Always talk with your doctor before you add any to your diet. People who should avoid certain types include:
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women, because some supplements can be dangerous to the baby. A daily prenatal vitamin has the right types and amounts of nutrients for these women.
- People who take heart medications, diuretics, blood thinners, aspirin, drugs that turn down the immune system, and steroids. With any type of drug, theres always a chance that it wont mix well with a supplement, but the problems can be especially severe with some of these drugs.
- People who are going to have surgery, because some products may lead to bleeding and other dangerous complications.
- People whove had cancer or are getting treated for it. Some supplements could help cancer cells grow or make treatments for the disease less effective.
Continued
The Best Supplements For Knee Pain
Whether your knee pain is due to a sports injury or knee arthritis, the following supplements can reduce knee pain, knee stiffness and improve how your knees function in other words how well you can carry out every day activities like going up-and-down stairs, walking, getting in and out of the bath and even putting on your socks.
My knee joint
- Boswellia
- Cherry
I know these supplements can reduce knee pain from personal experience, from reviewing the published research, and from seeing an X-ray of my right knee taken after a ski fall. Apart from some laxity from damaged ligaments my joint space looks great with no obvious signs of osteoarthritis, which I attribute to long-term use of glucosamine and chondroitin, krill oil, and vitamin C.
For treating the knee pain due to damaged ligaments, I added in turmeric, collagen and ginger with excellent results.
Different supplements work for different people, however, depending on the genes you have inherited. Some respond to glucosamine alone, but in my clinical experience most people benefit from taking both glucosamine plus chondroitin.
Combination supplements that blend ingredients for a synergistic effect can tackle knee pain through different mechanisms.
If you are not getting the degree of pain relief you hoped for after 6 weeks, you can either swap to a different treatment or add in another supplement.
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Supplements And Vitamins For Arthritis
There are a large number of vitamins, minerals, and herbs that are thought to help people manage their arthritis symptoms, but some of them are not supported by science. Here, we take a closer look at supplements and vitamins thought to aid people with arthritis and whether there is research to support those claims.
What The Numbers Mean
Many of the terms you see on labels or supplement web sites can help you understand how much of the vitamin or mineral you should take. For example, here are some guidelines set up by the Institute of Medicine:
The RDA and the AI are the amounts of a vitamin or mineral you need to keep healthy and stay well-nourished. They’re tailored to women, men, and specific age groups.
The UL is the maximum amount of daily vitamins and minerals that you can safely take without risk of an overdose or serious side effects. For certain nutrients, the higher you go above the UL, the greater the chance you’ll have problems.
The DV is the only measurement you’ll find on food and supplement labels. That’s because space is limited, and there’s a need for one single reference number. That number is the amount of a vitamin or nutrient that you should get for top health from a diet of 2,000 calories a day. The DV is sometimes the same as the RDA.
Although the details may be different, remember that the RDA and DV are both set up to help you get the nutrients you need to prevent disease and avoid problems caused by lack of nutrition.
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What Works For Knee Pain Don’t Waste Your Money On Bad Medicine
France’s Gael Monfils holds his knee in pain after a point against Spain’s Tommy Robredo during the… 2013 French Open.
Knee pain is a very common problem, affecting young and old alike. Among athletes, knees take a beating, particularly in sports that involve running and twisting. Among older people, the cartilage that provides a cushion in our knees often just wears out, producing chronic stiffness and pain.
I’ve had knee problems myself, so I was interested to see an article posted on CNN, with content from Harvard Medical School called “Alternative Treatments for Knee Pain.” Would it describe “alternative” medicine, as in “complementary and alternative medicine,” or would it present real medicine for knee pain?
A little of both, as it turns out. But it does more: it inadvertently illustrates one of the major flaws with the U.S. health system. We don’t discriminate between effective and ineffective treatments, and some doctors seem content to let patients try anything, regardless of efficacy or cost.
The article describes several treatments for knee pain, and for each one it turns to Eric Berkson, M.D., for an opinion on how well the treatment works. Berkson is an orthopaedic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Despite this large and compelling study, Berkson says
“there’s a lot of evidence that they work, but only in a certain percentage of patients.”
How Boswellia Supplements Reduce Knee Pain
Boswellia contains several anti-inflammatory substances, including boswellic acids, which are as effective in reducing pain as some non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs . Boswellia is particularly effective for reducing knee pain, and is often combined with other joint supplements such as turmeric and glucosamine to boost their effects.
When Boswellia extracts were added to cartilage cultures grown from people underoing knee replacement surgery, Boswellia was found to stabilise the cartilage, reduce loss of structural substances, and had a protective, anti-inflammatory effect that was predicted to reduce cartilage degeneration.
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Pentagonfit Compression Knee Sleeve
Would you believe it if you heard that there is a better way to alleviate knee pain? With the PentagonFit Plus Size Compression Knee Sleeve, the symptoms that usually come with this condition would improve.
This improvement will likely make you less dependent on knee pain relief supplements. Not only that, but the PentagonFit knee sleeve also comes in a wide size range of S to 6XL.
Taking knee pain relief supplements too frequently is not the healthiest option. By opting for the PentagonFit knee sleeve, the comfort youll experience might require you to take lesser supplements.
Our knee brace is an excellent choice for minimizing chronic pain and knee swelling.
The PentagonFit knee sleeves extreme comfort is achievable due to its well-thought material composition. Considering that it comes in a thin and lightweight material, you will feel comfortable even after wearing it for an entire day.
Moreover, this characteristic will enable you to wear it under your clothes without other people knowing.
If you worry that the knee sleeve might limit your range of movement, that wont be the case. Its flexibility guarantees that it wont easily break even when used vigorously. Because of this perk, you can expect your knee brace to last for a long time.
The PentagonFit knee brace is has a latex-free neoprene material, making it very soft to the touch. For individuals who experience pain in both knees, you can wear one for each of them.
- Pros
Natural Treatments For Knee Pain Relief And Prevention
1. Exercise and Proper Time to Recover
Weak muscles and stiffness are two of the leading problems associated with knee injuries. So while exercise is important for keeping your knees healthy, you also need to rest enough and give your body time to heal. Some people will need to take a break from most exercise or several weeks to heal a damaged knee, or at least limit high-impact activities for a period of time. Before trying more drastic treatments, see if taking a few days off from your usual exercise helps. If you see improvements with rest, then you should plan to decrease your mileage/length of workout when you return.
To protect yourself from injury, always warm up lightly and stretch before exercise. Before engaging in running, biking or another knee-bending exercise, walk a quarter- to a half-mile. After your exercise, be sure to stretch again and then to give yourself enough time to recover properly, at least 12 days .
Doing low-impact exercises is best for people with chronic knee pain or conditions that affect the joints. Examples of low impact workouts include:
- Activities that involve repetitive movements of the legs
- High-impact sports
2. Physical Therapy
3. Good Footwear, Insoles and if Needed, a Knee Brace
In general, people with knee pain should try to avoid wearing sandals, flip flops, Crocs, boat shoes, high heels and boots. These types of shoes are not very supportive and can aggravate back, knee or hip pain.
4. Foam Rolling
- Turmeric
- Omega-3 fatty acids
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What Does It Do
The glucosamine in your body helps keep up the health of your cartilage — the rubbery tissue that cushions bones at your joints. But as you get older, your levels of this compound begin to drop, which leads to the gradual breakdown of the joint.
There’s some evidence that glucosamine sulfate supplements help counteract this effect, although experts aren’t sure how.
Some people have also used glucosamine to try to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, allergies, chronic venous insufficiency, sports injuries, temporomandibular joint problems , and long-term low back pain. So far, though, there’s not much scientific evidence that it works for those problems.
Orthopedic Care In Ohio
If you are suffering from joint pain, the highly skilled and board-certified physicians at Spectrum Orthopaedics will work with you to develop a treatment plan that may include supplements, pain management, and other orthopedic and rehabilitation services.
Call the friendly staff at our North Canton office at 305-0838 or toll-free at 469-2663 to schedule your appointment, or use our online appointment request form. We look forward to serving you with comprehensive and compassionate orthopedic care.
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Things To Consider When Taking Joint Pain Supplements
Most joint pain supplements you see on the market are derived from natural ingredients and are completely safe. This also means you probably wont have any side effects, which is common with prescription treatments for arthritis.
Talk to your doctor before taking these supplements, especially if you are currently taking other medications.
Another thing you need to consider before taking supplements is label transparency, i.e., that all ingredients are listed including binding ones. This is important, especially if you have certain allergies and want to make sure you dont have an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in your joint pain supplement.
Vitamin B Complex Trials For Rheumatoid Arthritis
In this trial, 43 participants with rheumatoid arthritis were randomly allocated to receive 5 mg vitamin B9 with or without 100 mg vitamin B6 once a day for 12 weeks.
- There was no reported difference in change in the disease activity score or number of painful or swollen joints.
- Those who received the Vitamin B9 and B6 combination demonstrated significantly greater reductions in some markers of inflammation.
- No side-effects were recorded.
A trial of low quality. Results of this trial were given a lower weighting when we came to our conclusion about the compound.
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How Much Is Too Much
Because high doses of some supplements can have risks, how do you know when it’s OK to take more than the RDA or DV?
One way is to look for the UL of a nutrient. With many vitamins and minerals, you can safely take a dose much higher than the RDA or DV without coming close to the UL.
For instance, the average person can take more than 50 times the RDA of vitamin B6 without reaching the upper limit. But some people develop symptoms of nerve pain with these higher levels of B6. So you should always be cautious. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Some supplements are riskier than others. With some vitamins and minerals, the upper limit is pretty close to the RDA. So it’s easy to get too much. For example, a man who takes just over three times the RDA of vitamin A would get more than the upper limit. High doses of vitamin A — and other fat-soluble vitamins like E and K — can build up in the body and become toxic. Other risky supplements include the minerals iron and selenium.
Supplementsare designed to be additions to your diet.Popping pills is not the answer to good health. Experts say you should eat a well-balanced diet and take supplements to fill in any nutritional gaps. Some people take a multivitamin with minerals for nutritional insurance.
How To Choose The Best Joint Pain Supplements
Choosing joint pain supplements is not easy. This is mostly because there is an abundance of joint pain supplements on the market with most of them not offering any true measurable benefits.
Because most of these products are designed as dietary supplements, they dont undergo rigorous FDA testing making their ingredient safety and efficiency highly debatable.
Furthermore, the studies on common ingredients in joint pain supplements are inconclusive and contradictory, as stated in a review on joint pain supplements published in Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
So choosing the best joint pain supplements will largely depend on your own research and trust regarding these products.
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Get Effective Knee Pain Treatment In Lake Nona Orlando
While adding these nutrients to your diet will not cure your diet, some people will find that their symptoms improve as a result of changing the food they eat. However, people are different, and what works for one person suffering from joint pain, might not necessarily work for another.
If this is the case, you should consider our non-surgical solutions for pain management. At ViscoGen, we understand the pain and suffering that comes with knee pain, and we are dedicated to offering lasting non-surgical solutions for your condition.
With our Knee Visc5® protocol, you can get pain relief faster through injections which means less downtime compared to a normal surgical procedure.
Contact us today to experience true knee pain relief without surgery in Lake Nona, Orlando.
Turmeric For Knee Pain
I heard that turmeric can relieve arthritis pain in the knees. If true, how much should I take?
Andrew Weil, M.D. | October 12, 2020
You may have heard about results of a recent study showing that the spice turmeric, may ease pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee. Ive written earlier about these effects. Some clinical studies have shown that turmeric extract can improve symptoms of osteoarthritis by reducing pain and improving functionality. It also helps reduce the use of NSAIDs and other pain medications used to treat osteoarthritis.
The latest research was a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Australia involving 70 individuals with symptomatic knee arthritis. Some took two capsules daily of a Curcuma longa extract while the others took two capsules of a look-alike placebo. None of the participants knew whether they were taking the extract or the placebo.
The researchers reported that the pain, stiffness and physical function improved significantly more among patients who took the extract than among those who received the placebo. But MRIs revealed no difference in the excess fluid in the knee and no difference in knee cartilage structure.
There are no known drug interactions, but in rare instances, daily use of turmeric over an extended period of time may cause stomach upset or heartburn. Those taking medication for diabetes should be aware that turmeric may reduce blood sugar levels.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
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