Glucosamine

You are bound to hear people who say it helps.  Here is some info on some actual studies and you can google more quite easily. 

http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2006_spring/glucosamine.htm

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=51

Back in May I was diagnosed with runner's knee/chondromalacia.  The sports dr/orthopedist had me start taking the osteo biflex glucosamine with chondroitin. He recommended name brand ones since he said they were more reliable than the cheap versions and to take one with both in it rather than just the glucosamine.  I read the studies and was skeptical that it would matter.  I did decide to take it because I figured that it would probably not hurt anything for me to take it in the chance that it did help.    I also did physical therapy for a month and between both my knee improved significantly.  I continued to take the osteo biflex until the end of July when my triathlon was.  Recently my knee has started to bother me again and I have not been doing very much training since my triathlon but I also have not been stretching.  I started taking it again about a week ago (and still not stretching or doing my PT exercises) and notice less pain so for me it does seem to be helping.  I do also have arthritis in my shoulder that had irritated the rotator cuff and that is also not bothering me as much as it used to since taking the glucosamine with chondroitin

Depending on who you listen to, it takes about a month to "build up" in your system before you would potentially notice anything.

As the studies JK posted say, there are not really any known long term side effects, so if you think it could help joint issues, there doesn't seem to be any reason NOT to take them.  Whethere there is any real benefit will be a lot of first person testimonials and not really much scientific studies supporting it.

Hell, I take them just in case!

I take the Costco brand and it does take about 4-6 to start noticing a difference.  That's with any brand.  I'm not saying it'll make you feel like you have NO pain but it does help.

I can't do squats but I can walk up the stairs with no pain.  That's enough in my book.

I've had two surgeries for chondromalacia and have found for me that glucosamine is extremely beneficial. 

Nick,  I guess I will continue to take it to avoid those surgeries at any cost.  It seems that it does seem to to help a lot of us so there must be something to it. I don't think we can all have it in our heads that it is helping.  I have found that the one downside is that I has caused me to gain some weight.

I did do some research and there are two things people don't normally know about glucosamine is that 1. it is derived from the shells of shrimp, lobster and crabs so if you are allergic to shell fish, you might have a reaction to it and  2. that diabetics should be alert to changes in glucose levels in their blood while taking it because it might affect it.

ive been taking it for over three months now and have notice a big change in my knee tenderness and ablilty to move alot more smoother due to taking it.  Not the tastiest thing to take..but overall ive felt a difference since being on it.

Glucosamine is supposed to stimulate the production of cartilage building proteins while chondroitin may inhibit production of cartilage-destroying enzymes and fight inflammation.  They say you can take either one and have good results but taking them together is better because they compliment each other in their functions.

They also say that a placebo is just as effective in most cases.  Just sayin'...

As per wikipedia: The placebo effect or placebo response is a therapeutic or healing effect of an inert medicine or ineffective therapy,^[1] or more generally is the psychosocial aspect of every medical treatment.^[2] Sometimes known as a non-specific effect or subject-expectancy effect, the placebo effect (or its counterpart, the nocebo effect), occurs when a patient's symptoms are altered in some way (i.e., alleviated or exacerbated) by a treatment, due to the individual expecting or believing that it will work. The placebo effect occurs when a patient is treated in conjunction with the suggestion from an authority figure or from acquired information that the treatment will aid in healing and the patient’s condition improves. This effect has been observed since the early 20th century.

The key to this is that people expect or believe it to help. I did not expect the glucosamine to help yet have found that it does.  There seems to be alot of skeptical people here that have found relief taking the glucosamine. Is it only as a result of the glucosamine and/or chondroitin, maybe, maybe not.  It could be a combination of PT, better stretching, more awareness of injuries or triggers but to say a placebo would be as effective is not necessarily true.

It's a little more involved than just expecting it to work.

When people are given a placebo, there's the HOPE that it works.  I'm willing to bet that for many, they take it because they simply hope it works. 

Here are two reports from the arthritis foundation on glucosamine/chondroitin 

http://www.arthritis.org/good-news-for-knees.php  This research is cited in the next one.

http://www.arthritis.org/study-says-glucosamine-supplements-fail-to-stop-arthritis-pain.php

Take away from it what you will.  One thing I did learn through all this is that there are different types of glucosamine (sulfate and hydrochloride) and each might have different success rates.

If you didn't think it might work, then why did you spend your money on it in the first place? 

And I didn't choose the word 'placebo'.  It's from the medical studies, which benefit from things like control groups and sample size.

But if you believe it works, then it just may.  It may be just a placebo effect, but that does't make it irrelevant.

I know you did not just say placebo to say it.  I know there is research that says the placebo might be just as effective for some.  It is even noted in the articles I linked to in my previous post.  The thing about medical studies are that they can be skewed based on the number of test subjects, the length and other conditions that they do not have control over and honestly what the researcher is trying to prove or disprove.

The reason I originally took it was because my ortho told me to take it.   I spent my money on it because it was either take this or take a prescription medication for arthritis which I did not like the sounds of the side effects or risks associated.  I definitely DID NOT think (or hoped that) it would help and even told my ortho that.  I am not a person that likes taking pills prescription or otherwise and don't feel like arguing this with you.  I am not disputing that for some there is a placebo effect,  I am just telling you that for me, I seriously doubt it was a placebo effect for me.