joint pains? - General Health Message Board

minduka · 06-03-2005, 08:07 PM

Hello members of the Health Boards:

I am a 20 year old male, 5'11, 172 lbs. I have been running for 3 years. My problems are my knees and ankles. I believe I have runner's knees, but I don't know what is wrong with my ankles. I trained a lot so overuse could be one of the causes, but now I havn't been running for 8 months and the pain in the ankles has not disappeared. Specifically it hurts on the outside of my ankles. I am assuming I have a small fracture in one of the many tiny bones which hasn't been able to heal? That is not the only problem. I also have joint pains in my wrists. Is it just due to muscle weakness? Thank you for your time.

cfyap · 06-04-2005, 11:33 AM

In my opinion you should pay more attention to joint cartilage as cartilage provides a slick buffer so that bone ends can easily glide over each other during movement.

Especially for those who lead an active lifestyle, the cumulative effects of wear and tear can trigger the breakdown of joint cartilage. The more it is worn away, the more bones rub together creating pain, stiffness, inflammation, swelling and joint deformities. Glucosamine may helps to ease your problem with your knees and ankles and reduce pains.

What is Glucosamine?...
Glucosamine -- a substance naturally available throughout the body, but chiefly found in the cartilage contributes to the health and strength of your joints. It helps to maintain healthy cartilage to help ensure healthy joints and unrestricted, pain-free movement.

Do not take drugs such as aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as they come along with long term side effects although they may be effective to combat the problem.

Hope my advise may help you solve your problems. Have a nice day

irotas · 06-04-2005, 09:51 PM

If you haven't been running for 8 months and you're still in pain, then I doubt it's due to overuse.

Have you ever been tested for osteoarthritis? cfyap's recommendation is good; you should consider a glucosamine (1500mg) + chondroitin (1200mg) supplement to help restore the cartilage in your joints. The benefits and safety of these are quite well studied, but don't take my word for it, the studies are there to read for yourself. Note that it takes ~3 months to see any effect from such a supplement.

As for your fracture theory, an X-ray might be able to reveal that. If you really feel like this might be the case, you might make a visit to your friendly neighborhood orthopedic surgeron. You'll really hate yourself later in life if you ignore these sorts of injuries.

cfyap · 06-05-2005, 03:08 AM

I have no idea if you are suffered from arthritis, basically the symptoms include stiffness, swelling and joint pain. Muscles and ligaments are also weakened.

I think it might be a good idea to go for a medical check up to find out the root problem instead of ignoring it. If left unchecked. the inflammatory aspects of arthritis produce free radicals which cause cell damage and the tissues surrounding the joints, aggravating arthritic conditions.

minduka · 06-08-2005, 09:27 PM

Thanks for your replies. I'm looking into glucosamine products.

Is it possible to have arhtritis or osteoarthritis at 20?

EDIT: Which products do you recommend? Any opinions on flexicose for athletes and Syn-flex?