Sports Medicine
Dr. Ken Kinakin
D.C., CSCS
Dr. Ken Kinakin is a sport medicine doctor, chiropractor, certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal trainer! He’s also the author of the book “Optimal Muscle Training” and has competed in bodybuilding and powerlifting for over 20 years. Dr. Kinakin lectures around the world to doctors and personal trainers on the areas of weight-training, rehabilitation and nutrition. He is also the clinic director for the AIM Health & Wellness clinic (see www.aimhealthgroup.com), with a rehabilitation and training centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Dr. Kinakin founded the Society of Weight-Training Injury Specialists (SWIS), an organization that educates and certifies doctors, therapists and personal trainers in the area of exercise muscle testing, rehabilitation and treatment of weight training injuries (see www.swis.ca).
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Supplements For Joint Pain
Q. Are there any supplements you recommend taking for joint pain? If so, what are they and how do they work to provide relief?
A. For acute pain, there are two main supplements to use. One is called Traumeel cream from the company Heel. This is a homeopathic cream that reduces swelling and inflammation along with helping heal the damaged tissues. The best way to use the cream is to put it on the injured area often—every five to ten minutes. You’ll reduce the swelling and bruising quickly and accelerate the healing process. I find this way more effective than ice.
The second supplement is to use proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain from pineapples and/or papain from papayas. The most important thing that proteolytic enzymes do is to break down excess fibrin in your circulatory system and in other connective tissue, such as your muscles. These enzymes bring nutrients and oxygen-rich blood that remove the metabolic waste produced by inflammation and excess fibrin. Proteolytic enzymes also reduce inflammation by neutralizing bradykinins and pro-inflammatory eicosanoids to levels where the synthesis, repair, and regeneration of injured tissues can begin. You have a 48- to 72-hour window of effectiveness, and then it reduces substantially. So take the proteolytic enzymes as soon as possible after you injure an area.
For chronic pain and degeneration, glucosamine sulfate is still one of the most researched and effective supplements. What you want to look for on the label is D-glucosamine sulfate. The D isomer is important because it is actually the only form incorporated into the body’s tissues. Glucosamine products generally contain equal amounts of D and L forms. If the product doesn’t specifically state D-glucosamine sulfate, it will be the lower quality variety that has both the D and the inactive L form. D-glucosamine sulfate reduces the acute and chronic pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis while stimulating the formation of cartilage for effective joint repair. The research states you need a minimum of 1500 milligrams a day.
The last supplement for chronic pain and degeneration is chondroitin sulfate. The only problem is it isn’t well absorbed; compare glucosamine sulfate (98%) to chondroitin sulfate (8%). But it still has been shown to be effective in the repair and restoration of cartilaginous tissue. Chondroitin sulfate is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) composed of repeating units of galactosamine (the stereoisomer of glucosamine). Like glucosamine, it’s an integral part of the chain of events for the repair and restoration of cartilaginous tissue.
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