How effective is glucosamine for knee pain? And does the transient relief that it gives justify the ill effect it has on your joints?
In a previous blog that I wrote on glucosamine, I stated that several of my surgical patients had taken this supplement, and when I was surgically reconstructing and/or replacing their joints, I found rubber-like deposits of glucosamine floating in their joint spaces. From these observations, I had advised my patients not to take this supplement.
Apparently my article and sound advice were not well received by some. One nurse wrote me, saying that I should have my medical license revoked for providing such outlandish advice.
But low and behold – new studies published on glucosamine validate what I have been saying all along. Here’s one such example:
An article in WebMD, Knee Pain May Not Be Helped By Glucosamine, published March 2014, talks about a paper published in the Journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.
About 200 randomly selected people who had mild to moderate knee pain were studied. MRI scans were used to assess cartilage damage in the patients’ knees. Some then drank 1,500 milligrams a day of glucosamine for 24 weeks and others drank a placebo added to a 16 ounce bottle of diet lemonade for the same time period. The results showed that reductions in cartilage damage were no greater in the glucosamine group than in the placebo group and that taking glucosamine did not reduce knee pain.
Another article, published in Arthritis Rheumatology, The Effect Of Glucosamine And/Or Chondroitin Sulfate On The Progression Of Knee Osteoarthritis: a report from the glucosamine/chondroitin arthritis intervention Trial, published October 2008, concluded that glucosamine has demonstrated no positive improvement in reversing the cartilaginous damage in the knee
Another study, done at Virginia Commonwealth University, Effects of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Supplementation on Knee Osteoarthritis: An Analysis With Marginal Structural Models, published February, 2015, concluded that taking glucosamine supplements did not significantly relieve the pain and stiffness associated with knee osteoarthritis.
If Not Glucosamine, What Does Reverse Knee Pain?
Many people think that when a product is labeled as a natural supplement (as glucosamine has been labeled) that it must be harmless. But the word ‘natural’ comes into question when the product has harmful effects.
There is no easy solution to getting rid of knee pain and the answer most certainly cannot be found in a bottle. If you have knee pain and are ready to get rid of it, take a look further down your body – at your feet.
Many people are born with an abnormal foot structure – either the Rothbarts Foot or PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity – that distorts their posture. If you have bad posture, it creates an asymmetrical thinning of the joint spaces in your knees (and other weight bearing joints). This leads to inflammation and pain and eventually results in osteoarthritis.
The only way to safely and permanently get rid of your knee pain is to permanently correct your bad posture. If you have a Rothbarts Foot or PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity, the only way to permanently correct your posture is through Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy. Remember – people with good posture have no need for glucosamine.
Reading the Curing Chronic Pain website will give you more information about the abnormal foot structures Professor/Dr. Rothbart discovered that cause many forms of chronic muscle and joint pain and help you determine whether an Initial Phone Consultation with him might be helpful.
For a more complete explanation of the Rothbarts Foot and PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity, read: Abnormal Foot Structures That Cause Chronic Pain.
To find out if you may have one of two common inherited, abnormal foot structures that cause chronic muscle and joint pain, take both the Rothbarts Foot Questionnaire and the Posture Self Analysis.
As you learn more about Professor/Dr. Rothbart’s innovative therapy, you may find that addressing and effectively treating your foot structure may be the missing link to ending your long time battle with unrelenting muscle and joint pain.
If you have questions about what’s involved in being treated with Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy by long distance, see our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page by clicking here.
If you would like to contact Professor/Dr. Rothbart regarding an appointment to resolve your chronic muscle and joint pain, click here.
Professor/Dr. Brian A. Rothbart
Chronic Pain Elimination Specialist
Discovered the Rothbarts Foot and PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity
Developer of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy
Inventor and Designer of Rothbart Proprioceptive Insoles
Founder of the International Academy of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy
Free Excerpt from Professor/Dr. Rothbart’s second book, The Foot’s Connection To Chronic Pain
