Tendons, ligaments and joints suffering

[Monte_Cristo]

Well somehoe I manage to train MMA 3 times a week and lift weights the other ones except sunday with satisfactory results, getting stronger and leaner while keeping the same weight, great performances and great aggressivity however I feel my tendons, ligaments and joints not doing as good as the muscles.

I take MSM, hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and condoitrine and a multivitamin but somehow I suffer in that department, I have some minor discomforts even on my fingers especially the thumbs.

Any way to support those structure or speed up their recovery? I supplement calcium with magnesium after very sweaty sessions, could calcium be the cause?

 

[JDybya]

I've had good luck with cissus quadrangularis, orange triad, and in the past - animal flex.

Pes just released gynoflex, to good reviews.

Scivation has finaflex, which I'm super excited to try.

 

[jgntyce]

Don't forget about SNS cissus xt or joint support xt. Check out Nutraplanet for the best prices.

 

[booneman77]

Second vote for Joint support xt + cissus xt. Studied compounds that have proven effective (and in days not months per the logs and reviews).

 

[Epolis13]

Most definitely echo the recommendations for cissus. I use iForce Joint Help along with Orange Triad and my fish oil. I had a total knee replacement and can tell when I stop taking any of the 3. My knee sucks.

 

[Jebrook]

I've had good luck with cissus quadrangularis, orange triad, and in the past - animal flex.

Pes just released gynoflex, to good reviews.

Scivation has finaflex, which I'm super excited to try.

I've had good luck with cissus quadrangularis, orange triad, and in the past - animal flex.

Pes just released Genoflex,to good reviews.

Scivation has Flexatril,which I'm super excited to try.

^^^Fixed. Gynoflex. Lol. Not something I want to try. Just love dat dere autocorrect

 

[JDybya]

^^^Fixed. Gynoflex. Lol. Not something I want to try. Just love dat dere autocorrect

Ha! Yeeeeaaaah...gyno-flex is something totally different!

 

[ronnycjc]

I've had this problem with the thumb and fingers before. I train 4~6 hours daily which include a lot of cardio-based exercises for boxing so my joints do take a beating sometimes. I've taken GenoFlex and Cissus XT, while they did provide pain relief for my shins (caused by running/jump rope/agility ladder etc), they didn't do anything for my fingers/thumbs.

Last year, I seriously busted my right thumb in a match, I couldn't grab anything with my right hand for about 2 weeks. Luckily I'm a Southpaw, so doing everyday things was okay. I took Cissus XT, iForce Joint Help at that time and it didn't do anything for it. However, E-Pharm's Joint Force did provide temporarily relief. I would spray it, and massage onto it into my hands and forearms before putting on my handwraps and gloves. I visited several masseurs, and they showed me how to massage it. It was ****ing painful, but afterwards you'll feel better. They will apply pressure and massage on your fingers/thumb, do some movements with that particular thumb/finger to prevent scar tissue from building up, and massage the tendons along your forearm, because there is one huge tendon that stretches from the elbow to your thumb. I memorized what they did and massaged it almost everyday, and you have to be patient with it. It took me almost half a year for the pain to disappear 90%. I adjusted my hook punch to ensure that it'll never happen again.

IMO, I don't think a supplement will fix the issue... You just need to properly warm up and focus on technique for now, and perhaps see a physical therapist/or a good masseur.

Edit:

Right now, I have a minor discomfort (but not serious) with my left index finger and left thumb since the start of February this year. I took GenoFlex on March, and it didn't do anything for my left finger/left thumb. It did provide relief for my shins and continued to work after I stopped taking it. I always make sure to put extra effort in warming up my left arm and hand. Oh yeah, the problem could also be the quality of your gloves. If you don't have good quality gloves, you may to invest in a good quality pair (I don't have much expertise in MMA gloves so don't ask me for recommendations). I've seen some people who have ****ed up their hands because they didn't wrap their gloves properly or they wore ****ty cheap gloves.

 

[Monte_Cristo]

Thanks for the feedbacks guys, any side effect with cissus?

 

[Epolis13]

None that I'm aware of. My dad is a rheumatologist and he had told me that the large majority of the OA patients he has are usually on it for a long, long time.

 

[Robert5891]

Id drop the glucosamine and chondroitin as they are ineffective for treating joint discomfort and inflammation.

Also, abou taking calcium and magnesium together as they compete with each other for the same ion channels in the body and can negatively impact the absorption and bioavailability of eah other. Continue to take them, just not near each other.

 

[sparks2012]

Id drop the glucosamine and chondroitin as they are ineffective for treating joint discomfort and inflammation.

Also, abou taking calcium and magnesium together as they compete with each other for the same ion channels in the body and can negatively impact the absorption and bioavailability of eah other. Continue to take them, just not near each other.

Studies/Proof citing glucosamine and chondroitin are ineffective? Not trying to be a dick, seriously want proof because I've used compounds with chondroitin in it and perceived pain/discomfort decreased.

And yes, totally agree with 2nd part of the post. I believe it's calcium that slows the absorption of magnesium, as well as zinc.

 

[Robert5891]

From Examine.com:

"That being said, most recent meta-analyses indicate that the benefits gained from the combination or Chondroitin in isolation are not significantly different from placebo, and causation for improvement cannot be placed on the compounds themselves.[11][12][13] It is mentioned that most studies finding benefit separate from placebo either have poor study design or inadequate sample sizes, whereas larger scale studies note no difference.

In effect, the scientific consensus of chondroitin at this time is one of uncertainty as it does not appear to be much different when compared to placebo."

References:

Wandel S, et al Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis . BMJ. (2010)
Reichenbach S, et al Meta-analysis: chondroitin for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip . Ann Intern Med. (2007)
McAlindon TE, et al Glucosamine and chondroitin for treatment of osteoarthritis: a systematic quality assessment and meta-analysis . JAMA. (2000)

 

[Epolis13]

Also keep in mind that there are various forms of glucosamine/chondroitin and not all are created equally. Usually the form in the OTC supps that you buy in the grocery store are garbage. But glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate (like what's found in orange triad) do have some benefit.