Congenitally, the cartiledge has been deteriorating in my knees since I was a teen. Every so often one or both of my legs would swell in the knee region making it difficult to bend, walk, climb steps. Nothing but time would decrease the swelling. I always did exercises to increase the muscle strength in that area, giving my knees extra support for everyday movement. At times, I would also wear a flexible fabric brace for additional support.
When glucosamine came on the market, naturally, I tried it. I noticed a decrease in pain and an increase of mobility in about 4 weeks. At one point, I was able to cease taking the glucosamine because the results were no longer changing and I experienced very little discomfort. After a day of walking in very bad footwear I experienced severe swelling that time and glucosamine was not eliminating. I eventually required physical therapy complete with electric muscle stimulation. That was what finally decreased the swelling. In fact, since that procedure (done 4 times) I've experienced a almost complete reversal of a lifetime of knee pain/lack of mobility. Recently, after a 15 hour day on a hard kitchen floor with little extended movement I experienced swelling and all that entails again. Not having the time for the physical therapy again, I did all the exercises, all the moist heat wraps, and tried to stay off my leg as much as possible. It took a couple of weeks, but eventually, it worked. Once again, I have no pain and no lack of mobility at all.
My point of all this is that I've had three different remedies with similar results.
My mother recently had surgery for torn meniscus. She tried to put it off and did for 6 months. Always an active woman, the severe change in her lifestyle, in addition to the unrelenting pain, caused her physician to schedule the surgery. She tried additional exercise, no exercise, glucosamine, ginger tea, moist heat, dry heat...to no avail. The surgery was quick and her recovery is almost complete. She also had the same surgery about 6 years ago on her other knee.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin (SP?) is meant for the bones not the muscles it works on regular arthritis not rheumatoid arthritis. I used it years ago on my Red Bone Coon hound and it worked wonders on him. It will rebuild the cartilage and it dos work. He used to be so stiff as he got older he could not get out of bed in the morning or jump into the back of the truck after taking the the supplements he was like a young dog again.
