Alternative Supplements - What else is there besides Glucosamine and Chondroitin?

As the evidence mounts that Glucosamine and Chondroitin are not going to help everyone, are there other supplements out there that may help relieve the pain of knee arthritis?

Before going into a few options I repeat my advice that:

1) It doesn't matter what studies on other people have shown, if it works for you, go for it.

BUT

2) If it doesn't work for you after a reasonable period of time, save your money. (If a product is going to help, you should know within 3 months).

So, what else is out there?

Firstly there is Cetyl Myristoleate, also known (thankfully) as CM8. This can be bought combined with glucosamine in tablet form. There has been research into the effect of CM8 and there have been some positive findings. More research is currently in the pipeline so hopefully more positive results to follow. It is likely it will help some but not all arthritis sufferers so it is worth a try but remember - you are only giving a supplement 3 months to prove itself.

CM8 can be bought online under the trade name Flexcin

The second alternative is a natural product based on the Mediterranean diet. Researchers have long studied people from the area due to their lower rates of heart disease and stroke. What many are unaware of is that they also have healthier joints for their age. There are supplements available that take key components of the Mediterranean diet and combine in one tablet. These do not contain any Glucosamine or Chrondroitin are are extremely unlikely to have any side effects. Some will promise results in days but the usual couple of months is sensible to accurately judge if a product is going to be of benefit to you.
Natural Joint Supplement is one such product.

Despite plenty of conflicting evidence about the effectiveness of supplements I continue to see people who swear by them. Finding a non-pharmacological supplement that helps your arthritis is of great benefit but natural variation plays a role - you may be one of the lucky ones, you may not. My advice is to sensibly try out a few supplements giving them 3 months (and 3 months only) to show they work for you. Do not take multiple supplements simultaneously - if it works you won't know which one is beneficial and which one is not.

Only continue past 3 months if there is a measurable improvement in your symptoms. If you are not sure after 3 months, stop taking the supplement and see if your symptoms increase over the coming weeks, if they do, you know it was working.

Good luck!

Knee Braces for Arthritis - Can you fit them yourself?

That depends....

The incentive is the cost.
You can pick up braces online much cheaper than you can elsewhere. Sizing isn't a problem as online retailers instruct you on what measurements are required to pick the correct size.

For simple braces like pull on sleeves and the classical hinged knee brace, their simplicity makes then well suited to online sales.

More complicated items such as the new generation of offloading brace are more difficult to pull out of a box and work out straight away. Often you may be able to find a physical therapist with some experience of these braces to give you a hand.

Customer service at online retailers are used to enquiries and are also a good place to start.

When you buy a brace from a regular store the extra price covers things such as fitting and face to face instructions. You need to weight up the savings versus the loss of the extra service when buying online.

If a shop doesn't offer fitting then you will be much better off buying on the internet. The Brace Shop is a good place to get an idea of what is available.

Basic Exercises for Severe Osteoarthritis

The big problem with exercising for severe arthritis is that everything hurts and seems to make things worse.  You quickly become discouraged and give up. Sound familiar?

If you have very bad arthritis and all of the normal exercises done in weight bearing aggravate your knee, it is time to take a step back.

The following exercise should not be the starting point for everyone. You should start with the best exercises you can manage. The following will be too easy for some and they would get quicker results with tougher exercises.

For those in a lot of pain.......

There are 2 things you can do to exercise and remove some of the strain from you knees.

1. Do non-weight bearing exercise
2. Do exercises that involve little or no movement of the knee.

These are the two things that hurt so lets take them out of the equation.

Your starting exercise is The Straight Leg Raise.

Technique:

• Lie on your back
  
• Bend the opposite knee up a little and rest the foot down. This is your starting position. One leg up, one leg out straight.
• Lift your leg up into the air keeping it as straight as possible. Slowly lower the leg back down in a controlled manner. Do not let it flop.
• Repeat

The aim is not to see how high you can lift your leg. The aim is to fatigue the muscle so it does not matter if you only lift it a few inches. Initially, the lowering to the bed will be in a smooth arc. The muscle will quickly fatigue and you will notice this lowering becoming increasingly jerky. Once you are struggling to control the leg it is time for a rest.

Below is a video of the straight leg raise. If you have arthritis in both knees you are unlikely to be able to bend the non-exercising knee this much. Just find a comfortable position. You also do not need to lift your leg this high. This instructional video is for knee replacement surgery but the exercise is valid for non-operated knees as well. These exercises should not increase your usual knee pain. You will hopefully get the tired ache of fatigued muscles but that it sit.