Knee starting to hurt? Try glucosamine.

My Physician said, as he looked at the x-ray of my sore knee, “It looks like you are going to have to have a knee replacement in a few years. See this Milky looking substance floating down from your meniscus? ( knee cartilage) That is small pieces of meniscus wearing off. Sooner or later we’re going to have to do a knee replacement, otherwise, you will be bone to bone.”

“However,” he said, “we don’t know why this works but some people seem to get relief using a substance called glucosamine. You might want to try that.”

So, after doing a little research on it, I purchased some liquid glucosamine and chondroitin mixture. I had heard that the liquid compounds seem to be taken up into the body better than something in pill form.

I have been taking the stuff now for about 20 years and still have the same knee which is almost pain-free. So I am a believer. “Your results may vary.”

My theory on how this works is that the meniscus does have a mechanism for repairing itself. In the form of new cartilage cells that replace the ones that are being worn off. It has been shown that small meniscus tears do heal. Otherwise, how could something that gets this much use have much longevity? It could be, that the problem comes when the newly attaching cartilage cells, which have to be pretty soft to start with, getting knocked off by rough spots on the opposing femur joint. The same thing that was wearing out the meniscus in the first place. Your body May take the cartilage particles that glucosamine is made from and place it in between the two rubbing components, sort of like a grease or oil, to protect the new cells and give them time to set up into harder, abrasion-resistant cells.

So, expanding on the theory of loading up with as much cartilage as possible, when I have fried chicken, I tend to knaw off all the cartilage. Sounds kind of funny but, you know, if it works, why not?

If you were thinking about trying this, don’t put it off. It is said that the inner 2/3s of the meniscus does not have the blood supply to do repairs. So if you wait until you are worn down too far, it might be too late. if you do try this, don’t be in a hurry to see results. It took a month or so for me to notice the lessening of the pain I was experiencing. Probably because of the slow development of the replacement cartilage. This is all very unscientific and unproven and just my opinion based on my personal observations. But I’m still walking around on the same knees I was born with long after the doc said they were going to have to be replaced. So, if you are beginning to experience knee pain, what do you have to lose?