Ease Shoulder Pain With All-Natural Glucosamine

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis affecting the shoulder. This painful form of arthritis can affect anyone, but is most prevalent among patients over the age of 50. Prior shoulder injury can also predispose a person to developing osteoarthritis and research indicates that osteoarthritis in the shoulder may be genetically linked.

Also known as degenerative joint disease or wear-and-tear arthritis, osteoarthritis is characterized by a wearing away of the cartilage cushion in the joint. As this cartilage cushion degenerates, bare bones are exposed to each other resulting in inflammation and pain. The disease is progressive and there is no cure.

Although symptoms get progressively worse as the condition of the joint worsens, they do not always do so steadily. In other words, you may have a good month or a bad month... a good day or a bad week. The unpredictable nature of such pain can lead to great frustration, particularly for those who are more active.

Symptoms vary, but common indicators of osteoarthritis include pain in the joint, swelling, stiffness and limited range of motion, and a sense of "catching" in the joint - a pesky "trick" shoulder that "acts up" at the most inopportune time.

A trip to the doctor will commonly result in a physical examination and x-rays. Many, if not most, physicians then recommend a litany of treatments ranging from prescription pain relievers or cortisone injections to physical therapy or surgery.

While all of these options are viable, each comes with specific risks. Stomach upset, headaches and stroke are only a few of the risks associated with such treatments. With this in mind, many physicians may also recommend dietary modification and nutritional supplementation for relief without the risk.

The most common nutritional supplement physicians recommend for osteoarthritis relief is glucosamine and chondroitin. These two molecules occur naturally in the joints of all humans and are the foundation of healthy bones and joints. In a damaged joint, glucosamine and chondroitin are in short supply and the body doesn't have the raw materials necessary to build new cartilage. With regular supplementation, however, the body has an advantage and can actually repair the damage caused by osteoarthritis. This is in sharp contrast to commonly prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that only reduce inflammation temporarily and do nothing to improve the condition of the damaged joint.