It seems almost everyone these days over the age of 30 has experienced or is currently suffering from some existing form of joint pain. Arthritis is wide spread in the United States with over 20 million adults stricken with the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is caused by the breakdown of the connective tissue known as cartilage. Cartilage cushions the ends of our bones within our joints and without it or when it is damaged bone spurs are formed and the stiffening and grinding of joints takes place. This grinding creates painful, stiff, sore joints.

Now more than ever aging adults are searching for answers to continue active lifestyles and increase their quality of life. Steroid and NSAID(Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) drugs have been produced to inhibit inflammation and thus decrease pain. The downside of these is while they mask the pain quite well many also come with side effects ranging from water retention and decreased immunity to stomach ulcers and slower healing times. The main cause of the pain, which is cartilage damage, still needs to be addressed. Often times it is addressed by a last resort of surgery to smooth over damaged cartilage or replace a joint all together with an artificial joint. As most people want to avoid this last resort more and more suffering from joint degeneration are looking to other natural remedies and therapies in an effort to regain quality of life.

Some of these therapies include acupuncture, manual therapy, massage, exercise, holistic nutrition, HRT(Hormone Replacement Therapy) and natural supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin, aimed at rebuilding the joint tissues and constituents. Recent studies have shown all of these to have some positive effects. The GAIT study recently published showed a subgroup of people with moderate to severe joint pain taking a combined formula of glucosamine and chondroitin had significant pain relief compared to a placebo.

If you suffer from joint pain you should seek consultation from a qualified health professional to determine which therapies are best for you.