What is osteoarthritis and why does it occur?
One of the most frequent forms of arthritis isosteoarthritis, and it tends to affect joints of hands, hips, knees, back andneck. If a person is diagnosed with it, it means that the cartilage in theaffected joints has worn out. The real cause of this disorder is not reallyclear in the majority of cases, but it has been proved that obesity, aging, injuryor stress of the joint, or weakness of the muscles may lead to osteoarthritis,as well as that this condition may be inherited. Since this is alsodegenerative disease, it means that it gets worse over time and that it cannotbe cured. However, it does not mean that the symptoms cannot be kept undercontrol with the help of several methods of the treatment.
When it comes to the treatment, it usually consists of themedications such as NSAID’s or those that work as pain relievers, althoughphysical therapy, as well as wearing braces or special shoe inserts can alsohelp significantly in relieving the symptoms. Extremely severecases require a surgery, but whether it will be the one to replace the joint,or to realign or fuse the bones, it depends on the case. Alternative medicinealso offers a few helpful solutions.
Can glucosamine supplements help in the treatment ofosteoarthritis?
The fact is that every cartilage of the joints contains aminosugar called glucosamine, along with chondroitin sulfate, and that they areresponsible for the stimulation of the body to create more cartilage. This is probablythe reason why many manufacturers began to produce and advertise certain glucosaminebased supplements, claiming that they help in rebuilding the cartilage. Many studiesand scientific research has been done on this issue, but unfortunately, itwas not proved that glucosamine supplements have the stated ability. In somecases, slowing down in the development of the disease has been noticed, but ithas not been noticed in all cases. There were some people who practically didnot react to this supplement at all, or their reaction was not different fromthe reaction of people who were treated with the placebo. Still, it has been concluded that it is necessaryto wait for at least 6 months to see if there are any positive results, andsince there is no evidence about side effects of glucosamine supplements whenused in the long run, it is best to consult a doctor and give it a try, becausethere is nothing to lose.
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