Training for Rotorua but can't run because of sore knees

I'm 43 years old and was training for the Rotatrua Marathon (first one). Everythinbg was going fine, running approximately 45km a week,and then did a very stupid thing and increased up to 85-90 km a week. No problems aerobically, but after 10 days developed pain in my knees and haven't been able to run for 2 1/2 weeks. Symptoms suggest 'runners knee'. I have been taking joint factors 4500 for 6 days along with cod liver oil and magnesium tablets, also doing your foot strengthening exercises.

I am really frustrated as I am enjoying the running so much. Is there anything else you can recommend and typically how long is the recovery period?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks
Paul

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Gary

Paul, to be honest I am not keen on encouraging first time runners to go into marathons.  Marathons were traditionally the doamin of older competitive runners who were coming to the end of long years of big training miles and damn hard races over distances of 10 miles and less.

My sister, Lorraine, for example had been running big miles and hard, short races for over 10 years before she ran her first marathon.  I did the same, covering the distance in 2hr 37mins for the first time.  After 13 sub 3hr marathons, I gave up.  That was the best decision of my life.  Now 55 years old I am proud to say that I still have my knees.  Last season I ran comfortably under 20 minutes for 5 km.  If I had stuck to running marathons after I turned 30 years, I would not be running fast and free today.  I may not be running at all.

The point is that marathon training and marathon running is tough on the knees.  Knees are irreplaceable.  Do not bugger them up Paul.  Look after them.  Care for them as you would a child.  You can never fully replace your knees.

In the meantime, while you mull over the above, there are a number of measures you can take to care for your knees starting with ensuring your body is rich with all the nutrients for healing and for strong collagen and bones:

• Complete an Active Elements Assessment
• Ensure you boost your vitamin D levels are high by careful sunbathing
• Continue to take daily joint food formulations
• Ensure each meal has small amounts of quality proteins
• Add fish oil, flax oil, evening primrose oil (no need for any more cod liver oil). Get these off my website store
• Eat lots of bright coloured fruits, veges and berries and maybe a combined vitamin C supplement - the best one for strong tissue is Phytocare C-Max (refer my web store)

Exercise and Running

• If an exercise, including running, hurts the knees then give it a break for as long as it takes to be pain free
• Take up aquajogging twice a week
• Get properly set up on a mountain style bike and ride it two or three times a week
• Do only three runs per week spread over the week between the other exercises.  You may do daily early morning jogs of about 15-20 minutes if no knee pain
• Only increase running distances by a few percent per week and never more no matter how good you may feel - do more of the other exercises instead
• If you ever feel a running injury coming on - Stop running!  Go and do more of the other exercises and resume running once pain free
• Seek out some short races of about 5km and do one each week or so but do not run them all hard out - play with them.  Join a club and run cross country over winter to harden the body and mind while not doing damage
• Get 5 years of this kind of training and racing under your belt then dabble in a few long events, like a half marathon, then a marathon if you are still keen.

Two other things you can do

• Get a pair or two of Formthotics Shock Stop inner soles off my website store and wear them in all your shoes, including your running shoes.
• Get a weekly deep tissue massage of all the leg muscles with emphasis on the thighs and knee regions

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Do you have a question?
Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.

Have you found any particular brands of glucosamine or chondroitin to be better than others?

Have you found any particular brands of glucosamine or chondroitin to be better than others? Or do they all work pretty well?
Deb
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Gary Moller replies:
Deb, They are all very much the same. However; their value for money varies enormously, with the most expensive being the tablets, capsules and the liquids.

I tend to the Nutra-Life and Balance products mainly because they are a New Zealand company. I know the chemist there who formulates the products and often chat to him about his products and related matters. Of course, he wants me to promote the tablets; but I continue to frustrate him by favouring the powders! The less the processing the better, I say!

Glucosamine and Chondroitin products taste okay when fresh (glucosamine is sweetish). I prefer the pots of powder because you are not paying a premium for the tableting or the water, in the case of a liquid. Just mix it up in a glass of apple juice or your smoothie and down the hatch!

There are various formulations that take account of the age of the joints and sporting damage.

• Balance Joint Food for Athletes is for young joints being subjected to violence. Good for rugby players for example.
• Nutra-Life Joint Food is for joints that are being subject to chronic wear and tear and up to about the age of 50 years. Good for distance runners and cyclists.
• Nutra-Life Joint Factors is designed for older joints that are getting a bit arthritic. Good for old joints that hurt in the morning and tend to swell.

Now, what's the difference? Well not much really. Each has glucosamine and chondroitin but with differing amounts. Young joints do not need much chondroitin which hydrates cartilage. Older joints need more chondroitin to reverse drying out and less glucosamine. MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is added to the Balance Joint Food and the Joint Factors because there may be some inflammation in both cases.

In all cases, the maximum dose should be followed for at least three months before backing off to a maintenance dose. This should be supported with an Active Elements mineral therapy programme and maybe a few other nutritional items according to need, such as cod liver oil.

Do you have a question?
Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.

Will glucosamine & chondroitin assist an athlete with a bulging disc?

Hi gary
I'm an athlete and have a bulging or herniated disc. Are there any supplements I can take to help heal the disc? I was thinking glucosamine and chondroitin with high strength fish and msm, if so in what amounts? Thank you for any help Paul
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Gary Moller comments:
I always wondered myself if joint food preparations containing glucosamine and chondroitin were of any benefit for a herniated lumbar disc. After all, the joints of the spine are exactly that: joints. The only difference between them and, say the knee joints, is they are semi mobile with a thick fibrous outer sheath and a gel-like internal that provides shock absorption and flexing, extending, gliding and twisting. The physiology is the same, including the reliance on movement for nourishment. There are other joints in the spine: small articular joints of the spinous processes which can become worn and inflamed.

Chondroitin may assist with manitaining hydration of the spinal discs which tend to dry out as we get older and with damage such as suffered by Paul.

Several years ago I was working with a retired shearer who had had two spinal operations over the years, including a spinal fusion of L-4/L-5. He was suffering repeated severe bouts of back pain that had him buckled and bent to one side in spasms. After about a year of these disabling episodes, I suggested he try a course of Nutra-Life Glucosamine and Chondroitin which he dissolved in a drink bottle and sipped throughout the day having a steady infusion of about 8 rounded teaspoons per day.

To his and our immense delight, his back pain eased almost completely within about three months and I can report that he has not looked back since, despite suffering other though unrelated health problems since. I often recommend glucosamine and chondroitin - plus MSM for back pain nowadays and the results are generally very positive. It is a harmless and relatively cheap therapy. Even if there is no obvious benefit for the spine, at least the person is ensuring other joints like knees and hips are kept in good nick. After all, back problems can cause extra strain to go on these other hard working joints and the last thing a person with back pain needs is a crook knee!

So, I have no hesitation in recommending glucosamine and chondroitin preparations such as Nutra-Life Joint Food for back pain. I would add some MSM, preferably separately such as Kordel's MSM. MSM has a natural anti inflammatory effect and builds healthy collagen such as found in skin, hair, nails, ligaments and joint cartilage. An athlete can take extra a few days before, during and after anticipated extreme exercise and competition to aid recovery and healing.

How much should one take for a bulging disc? I recommend taking between 1500 and 3,000mg of glucosamine per day, spread through the day for about three months before backing off to a sustenance dose of about 1,000-1,500 per day. Doses of chondroitin are generally a few hundred mg less per day. MSM can be taken at about 2,000mg per day and then drop back to about 1,000mg after three months.

Once the three months are up, the idea is to fall into sustenance mode and step up the amounts around anticipated periods of stress or when pain is felt. After several months, relax and take some here and some there. I personally go in fits and starts with all supplements just for the sake of it.

Finally, exercise is essential for management of a bulging disc beginning with ensuring that the hips are strong and flexible. My book on Back Pain is a good start for exercises. If your hips are tight, then the stress of athletic exertion is transferred excessively onto the lumbar spine, so ensure you work on the hips. All the core exercise under the sun will be of no avail if the hips are tight and weak.

What kind of joint food preparation should I take following knee surgery?

"Gday Gary, I just watched the video on your website as to which glucosamine supplement to take, but I am still a little confused.
I am 22 and have had a knee reconstruction. I just recently had a meniscus repair operation on the same knee, and was told that my articular cartilage is beginning to wear out.
I was thinking about taking the Balance joint food for athletes supplement, to possible help aid my cartilage in regaining some strength, however I am worried about the low levels of chondroitin present. Is this the supplement I should take , ore one of the other ones? \
I appreciate your help with my situation. "
Garry

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Gary Moller comments:

Garry, I appreciate the situation you are in, having had two major knee ops myself in my 20’ s and facing the prospect of early arthritis. Fortunately, a sensible approach to exercise and the use of good nutrition means the prospect of arthritis seems further away than it was 10 years ago.

I recommend that you use the straight Nutra-Life Joint Food because it is high in Glucosamine which will help cartilage repair. Because you are still young, you do not need huge amounts of Chondroitin which hydrates the cartilage.

You need lots of MSM. MSM is highly beneficial for cartilage repair as well as being surprisingly effective for managing joint inflammation and pain. Kordels MSM provides a pure and cost-effective source of MSM.

The combination of all three nutrients (MSM, Glucosamine and Chondroitin) gives a powerful nutritional effect on that damaged knee joint of yours. I recommend that you commence by taking 6 rounded teaspoons per day of Joint Food and three capsules daily of MSM for the first three months, then lower to the recommended levels on the label thereafter. Boost the dosages of both at any time if there is any joint pain or swelling.

Take extra of both around periods that you know will be throwing extra stress on the joint, such as when doing competitive sport or a long hike with a back pack. I would commence these two days before the anticipated stress and strain and continue the regime for about three days afterwards to aid a full recovery.

While Nutra-Life Joint Food contains generous amounts of vitamin C, a total of 2,000mg per day or more may assist joint health.

If your knee flares up or hurts for any reason, then take extra MSM (up to 4 capsules per day) for 3-4 days along with extra Joint Food (six teaspoons per day). By having the MSM separate you can better use it for managing any episodes of joint pain and inflammation.

Always take these nutritional supplements with food, spread them over the day and never use as a substitute for quality food.

Which Joint food formulation is the best one for you?

In this video, I explain the differences between the three commonly available glucosamine and chondroiting joint food powder formulations.