Re: Recommend me a joint health supplement
Well, I wore my bones out early on. My knees crack and grind and my back is, well, shot out. G/C helped a long time ago, and I took naproxen for swelling and pain, but if you are predisposed to get this for whatever reason none of that is going to help for long. It will catch up to you, it just caught up to me early.
If it is really bothering you, I'd go see a physical therapist earlier rather than later. Later on they'll want to keep sending you to one when they can't help you and only the drugs can --physical therapists can only help so much with significant chronic conditions. My grandmother had arthritis so bad it crippled her absolutely, and it can run in the family --she always looked much older than she really was too.
But if you go early or right after surgery, they can help you a lot. They can give you specific exercises you may not be aware of that can strengthen muscles you don't use all that often. This makes the joints more stable and they don't "go out" as easy. I can't stress this enough, especially with your back. See, if your knees start to give you enough difficulties, you'll start to compensate in your gait and movements and that will add stress to your back and then one day, "SNAP!" and you have to piss in a bottle because you can't walk to the bathroom.
Or you can suck it up and drive on like I did and end up with VA healthcare and a worn out body. You do only have so many miles it seems, and how many or how long you can stretch them depends on the person I suppose. I knew one guy that pushed himself to run though he had stress fractures all through both legs and feet. He's probably in a wheel chair now.
For the pain and swelling, naproxen is what I like. Aleve is the same stuff. Note it can be rough on some people's stomach, causes heartburn and/or ulcers if you use it constantly for years on end. Rotating cold and ice helps. G/C does seem to make the joints glide better but you have to take it for a long time and you have to take it a lot. It may be a few months before you notice much difference and by then you sort of take the difference for granted... I think there is a prescription version now? G/C, fish oil and marijuana sell so well that they're making lab versions.
But if you are looking for a silver bullet, it doesn't exist. You are much better off taking my advice and finding out the correct strengthening exercises early on while you can.
At 28, I had a bone and joint doctor tell me I had the knees of a 70 year old man. No joke. At the time, I was in real good shape. In the ten years since it has gotten significantly worse and now I seem to talk about shooting more than actually shooting.
Good luck.
