What is it?
Osteoarthritis describes a condition where the cartilage that covers the surface of our joints begins to deteriorate. This process tends to begin with small defects including cracking, fissuring and thinning and may end up with a bone on bone situation where the cartilage is completely destroyed.
What are the symptoms?
Osteoarthritis tends to involve weight-bearing joints such as the knee, hip and spine. Usually the symptoms consist of morning stiffness that loosens up after 15 to 30 minutes of activity. There may also be grating or crunching noises that come from the affected area. If the condition worsens, activity will aggravate the symptoms. There may also be mild swelling of the joint along with enlargement of the joint.
What are the causes/predisposing factors?
There are a number of theories as far as causation. One theory suggests that biomechanical faults place abnormal stresses on the joint which over time create damage. Another theory argues that chemical changes occur in the joint leading to joint damage. Personally, I feel that it is a combination of biomechanical and biochemical changes that prompt the development of osteoarthritis. Regardless, the net result is the same: the material that makes up the joint cartilage is compromised, which leads to a weakening and eventual breakdown.
What can you do to prevent or treat osteoarthritis?
Here’s where it gets interesting. There are literally hundreds of scientific investigations and about 20 well designed research studies that have demonstrated a substance called glucosamine sulfate can help prevent and treat osteoarthritis.
Glucosamine sulfate is naturally produced by our body, and is used to make a molecule called chondroitin sulfate, which is a component of joint cartilage. It is thought that as we age our body produces less glucosamine sulfate, which leads to a decrease in cartilage production. This is why supplementing with glucosamine sulfate may be a very smart strategy since you are providing the raw materials your body needs to produce cartilage.
Glucosamine sulfate supplementation should be approximately 1500mg per day, preferably divided into 500mg doses 3 times per day. This regimen should help maximize absorption.
Some people may wonder about supplementing with chondroitin sulfate. Unfortunately, chondroitin sulfate is very poorly absorbed (less than 15%) because of the large size of the molecule. Glucosamine sulfate being a much smaller molecule is more readily absorbed by the body (over 90%). So if you are trying to choose between them, glucosamine is the better choice.
The one possible downside of glucosamine sulfate supplementation is the time it takes to notice relief of the symptoms. This is because the supplement first must be taken up by the cartilage producing cells (called chondrocytes), then converted to chondroitin sulfate and then distributed into the joints.
What I recommend to speed up relief is to take some other natural products along with glucosamine sulfate that give it an added “kick”; specifically, MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane), bromelain and quercetin. These ingredients are natural antiinflammatories that provide quick relief of the symptoms of osteoarthritis while the glucosamine sulfate is being processed by the body. If you plan on taking these supplements make sure you are purchasing quality products that guarantee their purity and potency and should state as much on the label. Figure on spending about a dollar a day for a combination glucosamine/MSM/bromelain/quercetin supplement that is of good quality. If you think that is expensive, remember most people pay at least four times that amount per day on their coffee and lattes which may have an anti oxidant benefit, but doesn’t do much good for their joints. So, are you and your joints worth it?
One final word on glucosamine sulfate, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should not take this supplement. The same holds true if you have kidney disease or kidney problems. When in doubt, consult a healthcare professional knowledgeable about nutritional supplements.
Other strategies for osteoarthritis include analgesics for pain (capsaicin cream 0.025% is a good one), non-steroidal antiinflammatories (which have many side effects, can speed up arthritic change if taken long term, and may cause heart problems), joint injections, and ultimately joint replacement.
Active treatment consists of joint mobilization and manipulation to normalize joint mechanics and strengthening and stabilization exercises for affected areas.
Remember, osteoarthritis needs to be actively managed for the best long-term results.