My last entry saw some improvement in my knee pain, which was mostly undone by two straight days of strenuous exercise. I had found a stretch that loosened up my knee, drastically reducing the amount of crackling noises it was making (although I can still feel some crackling in the joint).
Monday, the day after I wrote my entry was much better. My knee pain was virtually gone. It only appeared when I would flex it about 35 degrees and use muscle to straighten it, or when I put weight directly on my knee cap (which made for some funny incidents crawling across my hardly unyielding bed to get a book or magazine).
By Tuesday I was moving around pain free. Although the joint was not what you would call springy, it was neither stiff nor achy when I woke up. I went through three days where I had pain only when I would use my right leg first to stand up from doing push ups and when I would go up stairs 2 at a time. Even that was tantalizingly small, a sensation, like your gums when novocaine is wearing off and you can't stop pressing the half-numb flesh.
Thursday evening was a minor test. I played basketball with two of my kids on a cement court. We played for about 30 minutes and I tried some adult, game speed defense and moves to prepare for a tournament I have coming up this week. My flexibility in the joint was good and there was no sharp pain while I was playing. On some landings and while playing defense, I felt some pain, but not to the extent where my muscles responded to it by losing power.
Essentially, it was quite bearable and uplifting. The next morning, my knee was a little stiff but not swollen. I did my flexibility exercise (as described in my previous article: http://newsfrompalookaville.blogspot.com/2012/05/glucosamine-diary-tease-in-week-2.html) and felt some sharp pain as my knee got close to my chin. After a few reps, the pain was reduced significantly.
Since I will be playing basketball on three consecutive nights this week, that was a big test. As most of us know, your knee's reaction to the actual activity is only part one. Just as important is part two, how it responds the next day. With this test completed and my knee feeling good on Friday, I am confident that I can play at 80-90% speed.
On Saturday and Sunday, I jogged and rode the exercise bike. I iced down after both and have a little pain and stiffness. Looking at how last week went, this seems that it will be the norm. My knee is a little less painful this week, but that may be attributed to running a shorter course this week.
All in all, I can positively say that the Glucosamine/Chondroitin is having a positive effect. It is definitely not merely psychological. I have been running my knee through daily flexibility and power tests to see how it is responding and there are concrete results. This Wednesday through Friday, I will see how those results fare under duress.
On another note, for those thinking of trying this supplement, I have become quite flatulent. It happens everyday at around 12:30 in the afternoon and for about three hours is quite persistent. The studies I've read warn of loose stool, but I have only contracted flatulence. Luckily, my profession allows me to keep separated from others for extended periods. For those who need to be wary of their aroma, you might try spacing out the dosages to three times a day, instead of twice a day with the larger dosage at night like I do. It is a small price to pay if these results keep getting better.
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