Runner with toe osteoarthritis: glucosamine or something else?

Question:
As an avid runner (70 km per week), and competitive runner, I’m coping with an injury in my big toe. It turns out that a slight stiffening has occurred in my big toe (a reduction of the cartilage), probably due to all that running. I read your website closely and I am wondering if there is a product that could benefit me. If this is the case, within what time period can I expect to see improvements. How does the product exactly help me, and does it repair the cartilage?

Answer:
Have you been diagnosed with osteoarthritis? When I read your question, it seems likely to me that it has to do with the hallux rigidus, wear of the cartilage in the toe joints (osteoarthritis) as a result of all the running. Our supplements are specifically meant for osteoarthritis.

The ingredients in the supplements are mainly tested with knee osteoarthritis and hip osteoarthritis. For the peripheral joints of the hands and feet it seems that its efficacy is a little less strong. However, many people benefit from glucosamine and/or one of the other supplements. In general, rheumatologists and orthopedics recommend to try glucosamine for about 3 months. Within that time, you can usually find out whether the product works or not. If it works, you can continue to use it.

Our experience is that you’ll notice the pain for a little while. Personally I prefer to do a 6 months trial period. Even a year if you suffer from lower back pain.

You can try to use glucosamine for the first three months (one jar). If that works well you can continue to use it. If you don’t notice any results you may try Arthro-5. Arthro-5 is our strongest supplement. The results are significantly better than glucosamine, or glucosamine in combination with chondroitin. Often enough it has a positive effect and the pain inhibition is stronger.

The main substance in Arthro-5 is an ingredient called ASU. We have seen that this ingredient sometimes makes the difference between no effect and the complete disappearance of the symptom of thumb osteoarthritis (after 6 months). If the thumb is comparable with the big toe in this regard, it would be better to try Arthro-5 right away. Or you may try a combination of glucosamine and ASU Forte and possibly chondroitin. We think glucosamine is an important foundation. It may slow the wear up to 4 times on average (seen in knee osteoarthritis). Furthermore, it improves the joint lubrication, decreases the pain (usually) and lessens inflammation (sometimes). Chondroitin is especially effective against wear (about 4 times decrease in knee osteoarthritis).

Real cartilage repair has not been officially confirmed, but we do know of real life recovery stories. Usually this involves younger people. However, the positive effect on the functionality of joints at an older age is still very well possible. Our oldest customer started using glucosamine after she was 90 years old. She was no longer able to walk the stairs because of her hip. After she’d used glucosamine it was fine again. She was still able to live in her own house until she was about 100 years old. Recently, she celebrated her 103 birthday, but does no longer walk stairs anymore now that she’s in a nursing home.