# Jointcare



## N16k_W (May 12, 2013)

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for any supplements that I can take to help my knees as they aren't in great shape. Since hurting my knee around 20 months ago I've been doing very little exercise but I'm hoping the physio will give me the all clear to start jogging again when I have my next appointment. I want to try to minimise any wear and tear on my knees so have been looking for cod liver oil capsules or something similar. I've looked on line and seven seas seem to be the main brand for this type of thing. Has anyone used this and can vouch for it or recommend an alternative?

Thanks in advance.


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## stuartr (Mar 11, 2014)

I was the same as you, dodgy knees. I took the lot including chondroitin, cod liver and glucosamine, Then one day played golf with a top football teams physio and he told me they work if you believe it. He said the best thing was to strengthen the muscles around the joints.


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## N16k_W (May 12, 2013)

That makes sense. I'll ask the physio what to do.


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## Juke_Fan (Jul 12, 2014)

Never tried it but have been reading good things about Flexiseq 
http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/info/flexiseq

Used to help osteoarthritis it works by penetrating into the synovial fluid between the bones, restoring some of the lubricating properties lost through the breakdown of cartilage - might help?

Agree that one of the best things you can do is to strengthen the muscles which support your knees.


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## N16k_W (May 12, 2013)

I'll look into this. Thanks


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## Vossman (Aug 5, 2010)

The physio will give you exercises to strengthen the muscles around the affected joint, I have osteoarthritis in my knee and hip, because the joint has worn through the cartilage the only real cure is replacement, you may get some relief in the short term but it does catch up eventually. Very painful in damp conditions and the winter months but its something you learn to live with. 
I also tried the fish oils but they don't really do anything unless your a shareholder in the supplying company. I used to buy fish oil from New Zealand at almost £40 for a months supply until I wised up.


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## N16k_W (May 12, 2013)

Thankfully my knees aren't as bad as yours and a replacement won't be necessary. I wasn't sure if fish oil was an old wives tale but it seems to be.


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Have you had a MRI scan of your knee, if so what exactly is the problem?

I ask because I recently underwent an arthroscopy for a torn meniscus, the consultant told me my knee may get problems again in the future but if running, squatting and kneeling can be avoided my knee will remain in better shape.

For years I've taken Glucosamine Sulphate and to be honest have never felt any benefit, I still got pain in my fingers with the onset of arthritis and regular aches in back and knees too. A couple of months ago after my knee OP I started taking Glucosamine MSM and have a noticeable improvement in my joints already.


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## Juke_Fan (Jul 12, 2014)

Likewise I have taken Glucosamine Sulphate for years with no noticeable benefit. Like you I found the addition of MSM helped. 

The best combination I found was Glucosamine Sulphate, MSM and Chrondroitin.

Starts to get quite expensive in this combination. I used to buy mine from Healthspan - reasonably good price and very good quality.


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## Bulkhead (Oct 17, 2007)

The thing with dietary supplements is that most of the companies peddling them make claims they cannot back up. Clinical trials are your best source of information if you are OK with the science. I'm an academic and my main research area is inflammation and oxidation. Trials I have been involved in have shown a reduction in inflammation when using a high dose omega 3 supplement containing EPA and DHA - fish oil, krill oil etc. it won't repair damage to cartilage etc. other supplements that claim to restore function very rarely do. Just because some compounds are present in certain human tissues does not mean taking oral supplements will improve pathologies. Best advice is to see an orthopaedic specialist. See what the problem is, whether it's cartilage, bursitis etc. only then can an effective strategy be implemented.


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## bigmac3161 (Jul 24, 2013)

If ur knees aren't in great shape jogging is the worst thing for them to much stress put on the joints. Every time with hit the ground ur putting massive strain on the knee joint.physios will tell u to jog after surgery to get everything moving again but swimming or cycling much better-with less wear ant tear.


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## goRt (Aug 26, 2013)

bigmac3161 said:


> If ur knees aren't in great shape jogging is the worst thing for them to much stress put on the joints. Every time with hit the ground ur putting massive strain on the knee joint.physios will tell u to jog after surgery to get everything moving again but swimming or cycling much better-with less wear ant tear.


Cycling is really bad as you have the joint at 90 degrees when you then apply full pressure pulling the cap into the exposed joint.


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## bigmac3161 (Jul 24, 2013)

I'm not talking Tour de France cycling just gentle lap around town  to keep u active.


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## Gixxer6 (Apr 5, 2014)

It depends on the knee injury, most knee injuries involve the ACL (the largest knee ligament that runs behind the knee cap) but the injury could also involve the ligaments that support the sides of the knee joint (LCL) or rear of the knee joint (PCL). If you search on YouTube there are videos for strengthening the knee joint for that particular ligament injury.

ACL: 



LCL: 




A quality knee brace will also help with recovery.

Good video on explaining the knee joint and types of injuries:


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## N16k_W (May 12, 2013)

I had a MRI done and they found the MCL had a grade one tear which had healed as it had taken so long to get the MRI. The Doctor was unsure why I still had knee pain but thought it might be due to some damaged cartlidge and said only way to fix it was to operate which would release the pain for about 10 years but guarantee I got atheritos! I didn't want the operation and he sent me off to do a run and go back and tell him where it was sore. I did this and told him where I had pain and he said it had nothing to do with the cartlidge and was my kneecap running off centre so I just needed to strenghten the muscles to pull it back into place.
I made a physio appointment to get advice on the best exercise to do for this but she said it was nothing to do with my kneecap but as I had torn the MCL this had highlighted a weakness in my knees caused by my hips not sitting properly which put excess pressure on my knees.
I'm hoping that the exercises I have to sort my hips mean I can start jogging again (need to do this although it's probably not the best thing for my knees) but I'm trying to ensure I don't do any further damage to my knees.
Sorry for the long-winded explanation but this is the long-story short version of what has been the last 18 months of my life (not including original misdiagnosis).


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## Flakey (May 5, 2013)

I take glucosamine, chondroitin, Mecobalamin and Pregabalin and I have been pain free ever since.


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## bigmac3161 (Jul 24, 2013)

N16k_W said:


> I had a MRI done and they found the MCL had a grade one tear which had healed as it had taken so long to get the MRI. The Doctor was unsure why I still had knee pain but thought it might be due to some damaged cartlidge and said only way to fix it was to operate which would release the pain for about 10 years but guarantee I got atheritos! I didn't want the operation and he sent me off to do a run and go back and tell him where it was sore. I did this and told him where I had pain and he said it had nothing to do with the cartlidge and was my kneecap running off centre so I just needed to strenghten the muscles to pull it back into place.
> I made a physio appointment to get advice on the best exercise to do for this but she said it was nothing to do with my kneecap but as I had torn the MCL this had highlighted a weakness in my knees caused by my hips not sitting properly which put excess pressure on my knees.
> I'm hoping that the exercises I have to sort my hips mean I can start jogging again (need to do this although it's probably not the best thing for my knees) but I'm trying to ensure I don't do any further damage to my knees.
> Sorry for the long-winded explanation but this is the long-story short version of what has been the last 18 months of my life (not including original misdiagnosis).


Ur not alone in misdiagnosis when I tore my acl about 17 years ago I was told for 5 years all was wrong with me was a torn muscle. By the time I got an MRI I'd destroyed all the cartridge in my right and have arthritis in it and have the knee if someone 20 years older so the doc says anyway.


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## N16k_W (May 12, 2013)

bigmac3161 said:


> Ur not alone in misdiagnosis when I tore my acl about 17 years ago I was told for 5 years all was wrong with me was a torn muscle. By the time I got an MRI I'd destroyed all the cartridge in my right and have arthritis in it and have the knee if someone 20 years older so the doc says anyway.


You've got to love the nhs!


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## N16k_W (May 12, 2013)

Flakey said:


> I take glucosamine, chondroitin, Mecobalamin and Pregabalin and I have been pain free ever since.


Thanks I'll have a look at these. Hopefully won't need to take all this though


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## Gixxer6 (Apr 5, 2014)

Knee injuries have to be one of the worst types, take ages to heal. I injured my MCL on my left knee a few years ago and it was very painful to walk, had to limp around for a few weeks, cold presses and a knee brace helped. Luckily it was nothing serious and seemed to heal nicely after a few months. I understand what you're going through. I don't have that much faith in the NHS either, I think a good physio therapist is probably better at diagnosing joint injuries than a doctor, unless you see a specialist that has experience in joint injuries. 
There are quite a few articles about Chondtroitin and Glucosamine that state those supplements don't work, like StuartR mentioned in post #2, the recommendation is to exercise and strengthen the joints instead.

Hope you have a speedy recovery!


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Agree about the NHS. I went to a Physio and she diagnosed a very strong possibility of a torn meniscus within minutes. She wrote a letter to my GP recommending I have a MRI scan to confirm and this took place just a few weeks later which did indeed confirm the injury.


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