Experiencing a lot of knee pain lately - do these "joint supplements"
sold OTC actually work?
 Any unbiased studies done regarding their efficacy?

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Request for Question Clarification by librariankt-ga on 23 Mar 2005 19:49 PST

Hi PCVentures -
Chondroitin in particular has been tested for efficacy against
osteoarthritis with good results (both the pills and a cream).  Do you
know _why_ you have the knee pain?  If it's an arthritic condition
that would differ from if you've got, say, a sports injury.  Your pain
could be because of swelling, tendonitis, or a chondromalacia - in
which case it's unclear if the supplements work.

I say all this as a caveat and as a request.  If you're looking for
general information on whether supplements like chondroitin "work" -
then, yes, in some cases there have been clinical trials that
demonstrate their usefulness.  If you want to know in your particular
case, then I need some more info on what kind of knee pain you have in
order to evaluate further.

If you just want to see some of the studies in OA patients, let me know that too -

Librariankt

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Clarification of Question by pcventures-ga on 07 Apr 2005 19:55 PDT

I believe the question has been answered to my satisfaction.

What works for one person may not work for another.

But many people have reported benefits from using Chondroitin plus
Glucosamine and it's beneficial to use these two together.

Check with your doc first, particularly if you are on other medication.

For the record, I am neither a Researcher nor a Medical expert.

Good luck ... whatever you try.

Bryan

'Glucosamine Stops Knee Arthritis in Women'
Supplement Likely Benefits All Types of People, All Joints, Say Researchers 
  
WebMD Medical News (March 15, 2004)
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/83/97919.htm

For many decades I have suffered from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. A
glucosamine and chondroitin supplement seems to help with the
stiffness of my joints, but isn't very effective in relieving the
pain.

My son, who has very bad knees, swears by it.

From arthritis.org:

Past studies show that some people with mild to moderate
osteoarthritis (OA) taking either glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate
reported pain relief at a level similar to that of nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Some
research indicates that the supplements might also slow cartilage
damage in people with OA. Definitive results about the effects of
these supplements are expected from an in-depth clinical study
currently being conducted by the National Institutes of Health.

My dad has been using Glucosamine and says that it is helping with the
stiffness in his joints. There is another product called Collastin
http://e-optimalhealth.com/collastin/index.html that I have also
received good reports on.

Good luck with it.

No.

My research suggests that the best combination is Glucosamine,
Chondroitin, and MSM.  My patients see very positive results.
However, it takes about a month for the effects to be noticed
(generally) but this combination relieves arthritis pain better than
the pain pills, AND it is actually helping to FIX the problem.  ie,
repair cartilage.