Glucosamine in chronic knee pain

The Facts:

* Forty-five people with long term knee pain took part in a study to find out which patients responded best to treatment with glucosamine sulphate.

* After 12 weeks of daily treatment patients reported an improvement in the amount of pain they experienced and were less restricted in their daily activities.

* The results suggested that glucosamine was of similar benefit to patients regardless of age, body mass index or the presence of osteoarthritis, although patients with mild osteoarthritis had a slightly better response in terms of daily activity restriction than patients without osteoarthritis.

Shaun’s comment: Osteoarthritis is the type that you get from wear and tear on your joints. The protective cartilage wears away and bone then rubs on bone, causing swelling and pain. The positive effects of glucosamine have been known for a long time, and this study adds to the body of evidence for its use. Although it was a small study, it appeared that most people benefited from the supplement, no matter how severe their disease, their age or whether they were overweight.

Study reference:

http://acsm-msse.org/pt/re/msse/fulltext.00005768-200605001-01031.htm