The Golfer's Best Friend - How Glucosamine Helps With Hip, Shoulder, and Knee Arthritis

Golf... a contact sport? There may be no bone crushing tackles or sprints toward home, but golf - like any sport - comes with unique physical demands and risks. As more and more people discover the joys of golfing, they are also coming face to face with the reality of any active lifestyle - a reality that includes injury.

Playing through eighteen holes of golf requires great stamina. Walking, standing, swinging and bending... retrieving balls... all of this movement puts added stress on the joints, particularly the joints of the elbows, shoulders, knees and hips. Repeated use of these joints wears away the cartilage cushion in the joints - the cushion that keeps bones from rubbing against each other. This wearing away of cartilage, known as osteoarthritis, is especially common in the weight bearing joints of the hip.

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that is non-genetic and very common among athletes. There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but there are treatments that can help alleviate the pain. These treatments range from rest and relaxation to surgical hip replacement. Thankfully, most cases never get to that most extreme stage, but the pain can be debilitating. 

The most commonly prescribed treatments for osteoarthritis pain in golfers include a reduction in activity, weight loss to reduce stress on the already-damaged hip joints and physical therapy. Tens of millions of osteoarthritis sufferers also turn to what is the most common treatment for pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

NSAIDs, especially prescription-strength NSAIDs, come with a range of dangers side effects and dangers, ranging from headaches to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Making the matter worse, NSAIDs only mask the problem temporarily - reducing inflammation in the affected joints for a few hours. When the medications wear off, more medication is needed. Thus, the osteoarthritis sufferer is caught in a nasty cycle of pain and minor relief.

There is another option for golfers suffering from osteoarthritis pain - an option that offers temporary and long-term relief.

Research shows that that regular supplementation with high quality glucosamine and chondroitin - the building blocks of cartilage - is effective for reducing pain in arthritic joints and assists in rebuilding cartilage in damaged joints. It is important, however, to choose a supplement with a proven track record - a product that delivers on its promises.