Supplements that help inflammed tendons, ligaments, soft tissue

Hi everyone! I searched the forum already for information on supplements and injuries, but wanted to get some personal opinions from people who have dealt with these things as well as anyone who is a doc, nutritionist, PT, etc.

I am a walking case of inflammation. I have had tendinitis as well as stiffness, pain, soreness in probably 4 or 5 areas of my body (sometimes at the same time) and I seem to have chronic problems with my neck/upper back and my left achilles tendon. In the past, docs have done x-rays and blood work and claim that there is nothing wrong with me (not even arthritis). It gets thrown in the "overuse" category which is honestly not the case. I exercise regularly, but do not over-do it and have been working out for years. Anyway, I can't seem to figure out what is going on. I'm in my mid-30's, healthy, active, and I eat well.

The worst time of the day for me is morning. That is when I hurt the most. I don't exercise in the morning because of soreness and stiffness.

ANYWAY (trying to not babble)....

Are there any supplements that I might be able to try that are helpful with inflammation and soft-tissue/connective tissue issues? I have taken Glucosamine with MSM in the past, but I don't think I took it long enough to experience any effects. One sports med doc told me that glucosamine wasn't necessary for me because my cartilage looked fine. ????

Any suggestions? Thanks for reading! :)

I don't have a supplement to suggest, but have you thought about incorporating yoga into your routine to increase your flexibility and strengthen your core?

+1 for yoga, especially if you can find a small enough class that the instructor can customise the poses so you don't get hurt any more.

Yeah, I have thought about yoga. I am actually pretty limber when I am warmed up. I do core exercises regularly, too. I do weights and cardio throughout the week regularly. I don't like yoga, but I have thought about forcing myself to do it to see if it helps. I'm not sure that my problem is related to what I do physically though. I have had bouts of inflammation with activity and inactivity.

Yoga's one way of getting and keeping your connective tissues in good shape, myofascial release like foam roller work is another. Then there's acupuncture and addressing your overall wellness from a TCM standpoint.

The first thing I'd do is address why your problems are occurring to begin with, with a sport-specific biomechanical analysis and PT. Can you get a referral? Even if you have to go out of pocket, if you can, it's probably worth it in the long run.

As far as supplements, green tea and Omega-3s (Udo's Choice oil, freshly ground flax seed; and wild-caught cold water fish, pastured eggs and pasture-finished meat (all in moderation of course) if you do that sort of thing.

Do you drink diet soda?
Do you use splenda or sweet and low in your coffee?
Do you eat any sugar-free products?

If I consume artificial sweeteners, I experience aches in my joints and fatigue. Just a thought.

And more in the food world: is it possible you have gluten intolerance/celiac disease?

The first (and easiest) level of screening is a simple blood test for antibodies. Not all symptoms are gut-related.

Just a thought, but....I would think the solution to your problem would more likely lie is finding out what it is in your lifestyle or diet that you should eliminate, as opposed to adding some supplement to try to fix it. It sounds more like something is causing the problem and inflammation, as opposed to a deficiency of some sort that could be fixed by taking a supplement.

Let's see...I don't drink any kind of soda at all and I hate artificial sweeteners. I don't drink coffee - just tea, mainly green tea. My immune system seems strong - I haven't gotten a cold or flu in about 3 years, despite being exposed to sick people.

I'm not sure about gluten...never considered it.

I have been pretty tired lately, too. I am getting 8 hours of sleep and wake up tired and achey - not every single day, but definitely the last week or so. I may go to the docs and see if there is some blood work she can do to see if there is something going on.

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Originally Posted by kaian

I have been pretty tired lately, too. I am getting 8 hours of sleep and wake up tired and achey - not every single day, but definitely the last week or so. I may go to the docs and see if there is some blood work she can do to see if there is something going on.

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That sounds like a good idea. Have you also considered the possibility of Lyme disease?
Stiffness, soreness and pain in joints and neck, general fatiigue....classic symptoms.

Ditto on the Lyme....

Well, I can't speak for the diseases and afflictions others are wondering about.

But I can speak from my/my partners experience.

He used to run marathon distances, he is about 10 years older than you, Kaian. He stopped running at about 30 because he just couldn't take the inflammation and discomfort anymore.
He's worn his knees out. If he walks too much, especially downhill, his knees hurt. Sometimes, with certain actions (like shearing sheep) his hip joints play up too.
Rest and avoiding the activity help the pain/discomfort go away. This is why he has come to love cycling so much. He can cycle marathon distances (he does several metrics a week as part of his usual training) with little or no discomfort to these joints.

I would suggest as a runner, you have worn your body bits well, and this is what should happen of course. Goddess forbid we should arrive having never unwrapped our bodies and seen what they could achieve! I don't know why you wake the way you do, but he would wake up sometimes in the night, sometimes in the morning, with similar symptoms but to a much lesser degree.

We both have glucosamine in short bursts to help our aging knees... it helps, but again we don't have the swelling/tendonitis...

Best wishes in the search for a solution.

Does the blood work include testing your TSH and free T4, etc. for any thyroid problems?

Fibromyalgia should also be considered. I got it when I was very active and in excellent shape. It makes you achy and stiff and disrupts sleep, among other things.

Maybe fibromyalgia? Many, many years ago I went to a pain clinic because I could barely walk anymore or move around much at all. I did move, but it was very painful. At the pain clinic the doctor diagnosed fibromyalgia and gave me a tricyclic antidepressant which I didn't want because I didn't think I was depressed. However, he prescribed it to treat my fibromyalgia. Well, you would not believe how fast it helped me, and I had no more pain. Something about the brain and seratonin. Anyway, that was my experience. It was a miracle for me. No blood test required, either.

Did you have a C-reactive protein blood test? I will ask for that for my next physical, as it's supposed to reveal inflammation if there is any. I'm sure there are people out there who know a lot more about this than I do, though.

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia last fall. As with you, I have been very active since I was 25 and I'm 54 now. I have had a never ending series of immune/inflammatory symptoms on and off for my entire adult life, along with several weird symptoms that no one has ever figured out.
I've been on the tricyclic anti depressant on and off for a few months. It helped initially and then I stopped for awhile.
What really has helped me is acupuncture, PT, and yoga. Make sure you find an acupuncturist who has experience with fibromyalgia. The PT has "cured" me of a whole set of problems that I was just enduring while cycling. I now have exercises I do 6 days a week. Again, make sure you find someone who knows about cycling.
I don't really like yoga, either, especially the "spiritual" aspect. In fact, some of it seems silly to me. But, it did help. I do most of it at home now, with yoga that is specifically designed for cyclists. I supplement it with a class at the gym once in awhile.
And don't let the MDs tell you to "take it easy." I know I have to rest more at times, but when my doctor told me to "ride 5 miles instead of 50," I laughed and told him it was five miles just to get to the end of my street!

I had a couple of bouts of tendonitis, one of which I'm trying to get rid of right now from an injury. Cherry juice is a natural anti-inflam. Plenty of water.

Massage esp. one that incorporates lymphatic drainage is very helpful. I will preface that by saying it is very hard to find a good therapist. I'm still trying to find one in Mass. that is good.

+1 on what Bleeker said about lifestyle. There is alot to be said about that. Stress is a nasty beast as well...

Have you been around any kids with fifth's disease? In adults the symptoms can be arthritis-like. Some viruses can cause symptoms to linger and cause pain. Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus were 2 things I was tested for when I had symptoms similar to yours, but the tests came back negative. It took about 6 months and lots of Advil, but eventually went away. I take glucosamine /chondroition sulfate /msm and it's not really supposed to work on tendon issues, but I really believe I would have worse problems with the torn rotator cuff if I didn't take it. I also try to stay away from sugar as best I can, because it causes inflammation.Most fruit has anti-inflammatory properties, especially pineapple, and fruit with pits.

I have osteoarthritis and can't take the usual pain relievers because my Crohn's Disease has given me ulcers before. So instead my doc recommended glucosamine (with or without condroitin and/or MSM) and turmeric and ginger. It does seem to be working. I was having knife-like pains. Now I only get vague aches when the weather suddenly turns cold, and warm woolies over plus a workout to build up heat from inside tends to take care of those.

It sounds like you have a lot of the same stiffness and pain issues that I have. I've been like this my entire adult life, and it never occurred to me, until recently, that there might actually be something wrong... In the past I've always been told to rest, ice, etc., but I've got an appt in 2 weeks, and I'm not taking ice for an answer! We'll see how it goes...

Most mornings (any morning within 1-2 days of even a light workout) I'm so sore I practically rise from the bed without bending and stiff-leg it around until my muscles start to loosen up b/c I'm so sore. I've found that gentle stretching in bed or on a yoga mat helps (spinal twists on my back, bringing my knees to my chest, etc.) I've found that yoga in the morning helps alot, but going out for a morning walk followed by gentle stretching will have a similar effect of gently warming and loosening the muscles. I also take long (15 minutes), hot showers to loosen stuff up. I ice any sore spots before bed, which really helps alot too.

Acupuncture has helped too, but I only make appts when it's really bad b/c it can get really expensive.