To all the guys who have had various surgeries....

and some joint issues, do any of you use a joint care supplement for the soreness of riding? I dont have any issues (yet, thank God) but just curios as to what other riders might use and for what physical health issues.

Please answer his question. I've had two knee surgeries, i think its the meniscus that's still bothering me a little. Not taking any supplements.

I have used Glucosamine before, tried it out since my knees were not feeling tops, I did notice a bit of a difference, but that stuff is expensive. I was only taking half the recommended dose per day.

Had surgery on my shoulder 5 years ago. My shoulder doesn't get sore from riding generally (unless the boat is going too slow and you're just getting dragged behind the boat rather than actually riding, but that doesn't happen too often any more)

From 15+ years of lifting and doing crazy stuff.. I use Glutamine in powdered form. 2 or 3 weeks on, 1 off. (cycling it) and do 3 times as much as recommended.

I had shoulder surgery seven years ago and my lateral meniscus done in February along with some articular cartilage resurfacing. I have done a lot of trial and error and research on the subject of joint health due to the fact I'm 39 and still want to play like someone half my age.
I take 2000mg of glucosamine and 1200mg of chondroitin a day, along with 3000mg of EPA/DHA(fish oil).You have to take the glucosamine and chondroitin together as they have synergistic effect. Take the all these spread throughout the day. I take half in the morning with breakfast and the other half at night. The fish oil fights inflammation throughout the entire body including your joints. Everyone is different, this might give you relief, or it might not.
Typically if there is pain at a joint and its not an acute injury, you can look to the joint above or below for the problem. It might be that the mechanics of the movement or the way you are absorbing force(landing on a wakeboard) are out of wack. For instance, if an athlete suffers from knee pain, look to the ankle or hips for mobility issues or strength imbalances.
If that doesn't work there's always advil.

and do 3 times as much as recommended.

That has got to be healthy

Most OTC stuff is recommended in very low doses, most people won't get much benefit from it for an acute issue. Thats why when a Doc gives you 800mg tabs of advil for back pain when the OTC dose is 400mg its not for chronic use.

3000 mg of Glucosamine a day for knee and ankle problems. It took about 3 to 4 months before I noticed any difference. Buy it at Costco. The kirkland brand. You get twice the amount for half the cost

Thanks for the responses so far because I am doing some research for joint care for higher impact sports to possible help be able to provide information on better care, I have been checking with boarders, doctors, nutritional specialists and so on, and hopefully we can get the ball rolling on making the health of our joints something that we can easily find solutions for. Not only for current injuries, but prevenative maintainance because boarders tend to put themselves through more stress in a lot of cases.

Mitch, this takes care of any pain!



Rider Recommended/ Doctor not approved!

No doubt, I save those for the days I am not riding or at the gym though, especially the Corona....where the heck is the lime?

I wonder where all that metabolized beer ended up?

i have had many surgeries and have been worried about the same. I was taking glucosamine, and it really seemed to do nothing, so i asked my orthopethic doc about this. He said glucosamine is a waste of time and money as it hasn't been 100% proven that it works, and is just good for irritating your stomach. The best thing to do is stay active and flexible.

He could be wrong, and there are 1000 docs out there with 1000 opinions that will prob tell you 1000 different things.

Its a hit and miss kinda thing because everyone's body reacts different. I am soon going to be changing jobs going from supercharger sales to nutritional supplement sales (because I am into fitness and a buddy wants me to work for him, plus the money is better) and I am trying to come up with some ideas for boarders around the country to benifit their health and longevity in the sport. Still doing more research, and will be for a while but I will let you guys know what I find, what I test and what I have for questions, so keep the feedback coming so I can do what I can for all you dudes out there with the aches and pains! Thanks!

I have had Major Back Surgery I rock two 12 inch Rods in my back, as wells as, Finger Surgery to replace torn tendons.

I take Glucosamine/MSM compound everyday. With no stomach problems that Dave is mentioning. I also take Muscle/Bone/Joint Compound and Inflammanoid Companion (not every day) that is full of goodness. I get it all from, this company: http://doc-nt.com/dynamic/Category/4.html
I think it all works, maybe its mental, but I will do whatever it takes to stay on the water even if it is all mental.

wow! what caused the requirement of the back surgery- that is intense!!!

I had Kyphosis, its a lot like Scoliosis, but your back arches forward, I could have ended up a Hunch back so to speak. Then I crushed two discs in my back so the fixed everything at once. I can still shread tho-

i broke my wrist last december and never did anything about it. No i have a sist in the crack and i need surgery. My wrist hurts everytime i ride. The only thing i can do about it is take pain killers before i ride and hope something happens, but its never not gonna hurt until i get surgery. But on the bright side, ive never gotten handle passes until this year. Guess you just have to be willing to ride with the pain.

I found a supp that claims to not only have joint care properties, but also helps re-generate ligaments/tendons that have been damaged. As I have just recently had ligament/tendon damage a couple months ago in my left hand from a jiu jitsu accident, I am going to personally try this one out and let you guys know what I find. Hopefully this would be the start of some things that will help keep boarders healthier, recover faster, and keep them on the lake longer!

I take a low dose of glucosamine and chondroitin on a semi regular basis and have never had any major joint injuries (or any real pain or aches) until last month I blew my ACL. I am getting surgery tommorrow so I will let you know if I feel as though it makes a difference in the recovery.

Good luck with your ACL, just make sure you do your rehab and keep it up after your back to "normal".
Guys, I have done a lot of research on this subject as I mentioned above. The information I have come across is from some of the top PT's and strength and conditioning specialists in the country. Cartilage does not repair itself once its damaged. I'm missing 15% of my right lateral meniscus and it ain't coming back...
Be proactive before you get hurt. This includes things like soft tissue work, mobility exercises, closed chain lower body work( both unilateral and bilateral). To help reduce the chances of blowing out a knee when landing, work on your ability to absorb force properly. Stay off the leg extension and leg curl machines, they are only useful in a rehabilitation setting. If glucosamine and chondroitin work for you great, they don't work for everyone. On that note make sure you get quality supps vs. quantity.
Fish oil is the new wonder supp. It reduces inflamation throughout the entire body, joints, heart, etc. 3000mg is only 3 grams of the stuff, you'll get 20-20 grams in a serving of salmon, but who eats salmon on a regular basis? Get fish oil high in EPA/DHA, that is what really counts when taking the stuff.

Stay off of the leg curl and leg extension machines? How can it hurt to have more muscle to stablized the leg? Seems like if anything would hurt the joint it would be squats or the leg press. ???????? I am confused by this, please explain.

If you don't work on balancing out the muscles, you can develop them in varying amounts with those machines, resulting in a muscular imbalance increasing the risk of injury...

YES! I GOT TO SEEM SMART!

However, in high school that didn't keep me from 3 sets of 8 of 250 lbs on the leg extension machine... Might be why I pulled my quad all the damn time...

When was the last time you saw an athlete straighten or curl his leg in isolation? Never. Leg curls and leg extensions are what are called open chain movements. They are great for bodybuilders and in limited rehabilitation but they have no carry over to athletic movement. Squats, especially front and single leg squats are king when it comes to lower body strength and knee stabilization(closed chain i.e. foot on the ground). Leg presses are also considered open chain and are HORRIBLE for your lower back. Be sure to maintain a neutral spine when squating and this should keep your lower back safe. Throw in some deadlifts and romainian deads and you have a start.

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1127149

The link above is to an article written by a nationally recognized strength and conditioning professional. He is well versed on the topic of keeping knees healthy.

I am by no means an expert, I'm just trying to help a brother out and keep myself from going back under the knife.

One of the great things bout squats, single leg squats and split squats is they help strengthen your stability muscles and keep your patella in place by doing so. If you are just starting out, using a machine is ok for squats, but the best are free weight for muscle development. For more explosive power- drive a bit harder through your heels, just enough to lift the weight to go to the balls of your feet on extension.

Personally I like to do calves first, burn them out pretty good, then I will move onto squats, singles, then splits, and depending on if I have a spotter or not will determine if I will do barbell or dumbell deadlifts.

Another great power movement which is also a great full body movement is the power clean or hang clean. You don't have to go real heavy, just concentrate on bar speed. This will help with your ability to explode off the wake.