By Brian Rowley, MS
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Because they speed the healing process, glucosamine and chondroitin are great for injuries or arthritis, but maintenance is just as important. Other than injury prevention, ice and other "damage control" treatments (see "Injury Aid"), the importance of great nutrition on a consistent basis cannot be overemphasized where your joints are concerned. Specifically, a good regimen for any active women should include 450 mg of magnesium (ZMA before bed is a good form for magnesium), 250 mg of Vitamin C, and 1,000 mg of calcium (or two servings of fat-free dairy products). All three of these nutrients are essential for joint health and repair, and should be taken daily. In addition, 400 I.U. of Vitamin E is also very protective and works well with fish oil concentrates, for example.
Optional: If all else fails, try adding 300-500 mg of trimethylglycine (TMG or betaine), 800-1,200 mg of SAMe and a B complex vitamin that includes folic acid, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B6 daily.
Joint Jargon
To help you speak the language of connective tissue - necessary to understand your body, your aches and your physical therapist - here is a brief lexicon of soft-tissue jargon:
Aponeuroses: Broad sheets of connective tissue that join flat muscles like the abs, obliques, lats and traps to your bones.
Bursae: Wherever a tendon rubs against a bone, ligament or other tendon, you'll likely find bursae. Bursae, which are sacs filled with a natural lubricant for your tendons, prevent irritation and damage by reducing friction. ("Bursitis" happens when a bursa becomes inflamed due to damage or infection, making movement painful.)
Fascia: Superficial fascia is a fibrous sheet of connective tissue that envelops the body under the skin, helping to support blood vessels, subcutaneous fat and nerves. Deep fascia provides muscle fibers with a protective outer sheath, and helps connect muscle to bone by way of ligaments.
Ligaments: Ligaments are fibrous bands or sheets that bind your bones together. Other varieties exist that support joints, muscles and organs.
Synovial Tendon Sheaths: Like bursae, they wrap around tendons and dispense a fluid to lubricate movement. The lining of these membranous sacs can sometimes get infected, which results in aches and pains.
Tendons: Fibrous bands of dense connective tissue that connect muscle to bone. They have nerves, which transmit pain referred by muscle.
Injury Aid
Joint complaints and other aches and pains caused by sports injuries and arthritis are usually not bone problems so much as connective-tissue problems. Common examples include wear and tear of cartilage at the ends of your joints, or inflammation of an attaching tendon or bursa.
Brett Wade, MPT, from Sun City Physiotherapy in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, says: "Most sports injuries come from one or more tears in soft tissue such as a muscle, a tendon, a ligament or fascia, for example. Repetitive movements like jumping up and down in volleyball are common culprits, especially combined with too little recovery. Treat soft-tissue injuries with RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) as soon as they occur and for the next 2-3 days to reduce inflammation.
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