Hyaluronic Acid? Anyone take it?

TheBeerRunner

I'm nearing 12 years on a rebuilt ACL and I'm starting to have more and more issues with what I am guessing is patellofemoral osteoarthritis. There is some noticeable grinding when I manipulate my patella on my rebuilt knee. Sometimes when bending down and standing back up there is a noticeable grinding and popping, though rarely any pain. I've been running quite frequently and with increasing speed and distance and have started having issues with pain and moderate swelling around the patella. I've been taking Glucosamine Chondroitin with MSM for the past few years and it's been helping some. I've recently heard of Hyaluronic Acid, and that it does have some positive results when taken with Glucosamine Chondroitin. Anyone have any experience or take Hyaluronic Acid for joint pain? I'm going in to see a sports medicine doctor or orthopedic surgeon to see if they can diagnose what the issue is with my knee and see if there's truly cartilage erosion or any other signs of osteoarthritis.

booyainyoface

i take animal flex by universal nutrition. it is hands down the ONLY supp I will take and pay for. it is way more effective than glucosamine/msm alone, has literally 9 stars or more out of 10 and hundreds of reviews on bodybuilding.com or any other supplement website, and is more cost effective than glucosamine. it has hyluronic acid in it- not sure its function, but seriously, within a week my joints felt better- its been 2 years now and i cant imagine not using it...

so in conclusion i would give animal flex a try if your joints feel tired, snappy, old, dry, or just crappy in general also Super Cissus is another joint supplement others recommend, but i have no experience with.

TheBeerRunner

It's one of the major components of the lubricating fluid in your joints... I've seen that some doctors have been doing direct injections into arthritic joints, but the results are mixed at best. I'm probably not a candidate for anything other than some PT at this point. I've incorporated some strengthening exercises into my daily routine to help stabilize the joint more. I'm willing to give anything a shot to slow the degeneration of the patellar cartilage down

potluck965

I had no luck with glucosamine at all, but I felt some relief from Schiff Move Free Ultra, which is a cartilage/ hyaluronic acid blend.

Also, it is one tiny pill which is much better for me than all those glucosamine products.

RoBalance

Sounds to me as though you might be developing or have developed a 'runner's knee'. I have the same, had just ignored it in the beginning because I was so keen on running and though I stopped running more than two years ago I still have a really bad knee. If you have the wrong running technique and/ or bad shoes and/ or underdeveloped quads and tight hampstrings you're making it worse each time you go on a run. My physio said that my knees are worn like those of an old person. I would suggest to stop running ( you can do swimming, but no breaststroke) until you have seen a physio and had a gait analysis. I wish you good luck and hope your knee heals again.

TheBeerRunner

I suppose that is also a possibility. I noticed issues when I changed to a different type of shoes, and I've swapped them out for a pair of shoes that I had become accustomed to. I don't have any pain while running now, I think my stride is OK, but that's something I have always wanted to have analyzed anyway. I'll have to find out if my insurance covers it, or start thinking of some other exercises I can incorporate into my routine... Running is easy, and it's free, though if I'm destroying my knees...

PlayerHatinDogooder

I just take regular acid.

UsedToBeHusky

Never heard of it. But take some lysergic acid and you won't care.


(Sorry... had to make that joke!)

UsedToBeHusky

I just take regular acid.

Damn you! :grumble: :explode:

Sharon_C

I've only heard of hyaluronic acid in regards to anti-wrinkle creams. It's majorly awesome when used to fight the signs of aging in your skin.

It makes sense though that you can use it for joints. Hyaluronic acid can hold about 5,000x its weight in water. That's why its good for fine lines and wrinkles because it plumps them up.

TheBeerRunner

Hyaluronic Acid makes up a good portion of Synovial Fluid, the stuff that lubricates your joints along with cartilage. It's one of the components that gives synovial fluid its lubricity. I'm going to try the Animal Flex Joint support packs for a few months to see if it helps at all and continue some of the PT exercises I know I did during PT for my ACL reconstruction.

booyainyoface

keep me posted on how the animal flex works for you!

TheBeerRunner

I picked up Animal Flex on Friday and have been taking one pack a day and I've already noticed an improvement in my joint soreness. I did take Friday and Saturday off from running, but ran 6 miles on Sunday. Very minimal soreness in my knees afterwards. When I manipulate my patella on my right knee the "grittiness" is much less pronounced. I have been doing other exercises to build more strength and stability on that leg too, but, still. After three full days I'm impressed. I would have never thought supplements would be such a big help. Thank you for the suggestion, I'll keep updating as time goes on.

crittergirl222

Thank you so much for this post and the update. I am in the exact same boat (sans having had knee surgery), and a coworker suggested the gluc/chondroit/hyaluronic acid combo. I've ordered some and expecting to start taking tomorrow (probably standing at the mailbox as soon as it arrives; I haven't run in 3 days and I am in pretty major running withdrawals!). So you noticed a difference in just a few days?

(She asks hopefully!!!).