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Unlocking the Benefits of Joint Supplements for Athletes

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A man shadow boxing in a black and white photo.
Photo by Pixabay, Pexels.

At SiR, we know the strain intense training puts on athlete’s joints.

This is where joint supplements come in—not just as a preventative measure, but also a performance enhancer.

They reduce inflammation, accelerate recovery, and boost joint function. This makes them crucial for maximizing your progress and extending your career.

In this article, I explore 6 unique benefits of joints supplements for athletes.

1. Less Inflammation and Soreness

Inflammation is a normal reaction of your body to a foreign pathogen, or in the context of athletes, physical strain and training. This inflammation is necessary for your body to repair itself and defend against injury and foreign invaders.1

However, too much inflammation that lasts for too long can cause damage to your tissues like joints. This not only slows down your recovery after training and competitions; it can also pose a threat to the longevity of your joints.

One of the important athletic benefits of joint supplements is inflammation relief. Ingredients like omega-3 fish oil, Boswellia Serrata, and curcumin inhibit inflammation in your joints, resulting in improved, pain-free movement as well as protection from long-term damage.2

These anti-inflammatory compounds also reduce muscle soreness, helping you to return to training faster.

Speaking of which…

2. Quicker Recovery

Fast, efficient, recovery is vital for athletic success. It not only allows you to be more consistent in your training and competitions, but it also accelerates your progress in the long run. A person training 5 times per week versus a person training only 2 times per week due to frequent injuries or slow recovery is going to have better results compounding over time.

For this reason, you need to ensure proper treatment and nutrients for your body. Some of these nutrients can be found in joint supplements—MSM and collagen for example. They work to repair and protect your cartilage and connective tissues, reducing the risk of injuries and shortening the downtime between your training sessions.3 4

Related article: Joint Supplements as Your Training Recovery Aid

3. Joint Protection from Hard Exercise

Endurance running, weightlifting, tennis, boxing, football—these are just some athletic endeavors that put tremendous pressure on the joints. Over time, hard physical activities like these can wear your body down. Leading to more frequent injuries and reduced physical performance.

The good news is, you can slow down this process with right lifestyle modifications—supplements being one of them. Joint supplements like turmeric (curcumin) have anti-inflammatory effects that could rival the potency of some pharmaceutical drugs. Reduced pain and soreness are great, but curcumin takes it a step further to contribute to reduced damage to your joints in the long run.5 6

Other supplements like hyaluronic acid and chondroitin help your athletic function in another way. They improve synovial fluid which is in your joint and absorbs daily impacts and shocks, therefore reducing the stress that you put on your joints when exercising.7 8

4. Improved Range of Motion and Flexibility

A woman doing a barbell lift.
Photo by Leon Ardho, Pexels.

Every athlete knows that maintaining optimal flexibility and mobility is crucial not just for performance, but also for minimizing injuries.

Joint supplements can aid your range of motion and promote flexible movement in a number of ways, but four particularly stand out9 10 11:

  1. Cartilage health. Glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM promote cartilage healing and protection. Healthy cartilage is vital for your athletic flexibility because it acts as a cushion and ensures smooth movement.
  2. Inflammation relief. Chronic joint inflammation can lead to stiffness and pain, limiting your mobility. Curcumin and Boswellia Serrata are among the most potent natural anti-inflammatory supplements specifically for joint stiffness and pain, helping you to maintain optimal flexibility as an athlete.
  3. Lubrication support. Supplements like omega-3s support the health and function of cartilage for smooth movement. On the other hand, hyaluronic acid supports the production of synovial fluid which lubricates your joints, allowing for smoother range of motion.
  4. Collagen production. Supplements that enhance collagen levels, including vitamin C and type-II collagen, give your body building blocks to repair and strengthen your connective tissues; maintaining their elasticity. This ultimately contributes to more flexible movement.

5. Extended Athletic Longevity

Long and injury-free career is the goal of every serious athlete. Joint supplements can assist you in achieving this goal by addressing the underlying causes of joint wear and tear.

Here’s how exactly:

  • Supports cartilage’s resistance to damage. Giving your cartilage building blocks such as glucosamine and chondroitin supports cartilage’s robustness, promotes repair, and bolsters its resistance to constant impacts from hard training.

  • Slows joint degradation. Chronic inflammation can lead to joint degradation, which in turn contributes to the development of osteoarthritis and a premature end of an athletic career. Anti-inflammatory compounds like omega-3s and curcumin help to slow down or even inhibit this process to an extent; preserving long-term joint function.12 13

  • Nutritional support. Certain joint supplements like vitamin C, vitamin D, selenium, and others provide your body the components it could be lacking to ensure optimal joint health and recovery.14 In addition, ingredients such as MSM and collagen encourage the immediate post-workout repair of your muscles and joints, in addition to relieving pain.15

6. Enhanced Physical Performance

Even the smallest improvement in performance counts for athletes, and joint supplements assist in enabling these increments. By optimizing joint function, speeding up the recovery, and reducing pain, joint supplements enable to you to train harder for longer, leading to faster progress and greater results in the long run.

If you’re an athlete involved in heavy lifting, joint supplements can support the strength of your connective tissues. This may help you lift more without compromising stability or health of your joints.

For runners and track athletes, joint supplements can provide an enhancement in mobility and movement fluidity. This is thanks to lubrication support that these supplements provide.

Further Reading:

References

  1. Stone WL, Basit H, Burns B. Pathology, Inflammation. [Updated 2022 Nov 14]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. ↩︎
  2. Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health. Foods. 2017 Oct 22;6(10):92. doi: 10.3390/foods6100092. PMID: 29065496; PMCID: PMC5664031. ↩︎
  3. Dalle Carbonare L, Bertacco J, Marchetto G, Cheri S, Deiana M, Minoia A, Tiso N, Mottes M, Valenti MT. Methylsulfonylmethane enhances MSC chondrogenic commitment and promotes pre-osteoblasts formation. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2021 Jun 5;12(1):326. doi: 10.1186/s13287-021-02396-5. PMID: 34090529; PMCID: PMC8180127. ↩︎
  4. Butawan M, Benjamin RL, Bloomer RJ. Methylsulfonylmethane: Applications and Safety of a Novel Dietary Supplement. Nutrients. 2017 Mar 16;9(3):290. doi: 10.3390/nu9030290. PMID: 28300758; PMCID: PMC5372953. ↩︎
  5. Paultre K, Cade W, Hernandez D, Reynolds J, Greif D, Best TM. Therapeutic effects of turmeric or curcumin extract on pain and function for individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2021 Jan 13;7(1):e000935. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000935. PMID: 33500785; PMCID: PMC7812094. ↩︎
  6. Hsiao AF, Lien YC, Tzeng IS, Liu CT, Chou SH, Horng YS. The efficacy of high- and low-dose curcumin in knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med. 2021 Dec;63:102775. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102775. Epub 2021 Sep 16. PMID: 34537344. ↩︎
  7. Oe M, Tashiro T, Yoshida H, Nishiyama H, Masuda Y, Maruyama K, Koikeda T, Maruya R, Fukui N. Oral hyaluronan relieves knee pain: a review. Nutr J. 2016 Jan 27;15:11. doi: 10.1186/s12937-016-0128-2. PMID: 26818459; PMCID: PMC4729158. ↩︎
  8. Vincent HK, Percival SS, Conrad BP, Seay AN, Montero C, Vincent KR. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Viscosupplementation on Synovial Fluid Inflammation in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Study. Open Orthop J. 2013 Sep 20;7:378-84. doi: 10.2174/1874325001307010378. PMID: 24093052; PMCID: PMC3788189. ↩︎
  9. Zhu X, Sang L, Wu D, Rong J, Jiang L. Effectiveness and safety of glucosamine and chondroitin for the treatment of osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Orthop Surg Res. 2018 Jul 6;13(1):170. doi: 10.1186/s13018-018-0871-5. PMID: 29980200; PMCID: PMC6035477. ↩︎
  10. Ezaki J, Hashimoto M, Hosokawa Y, Ishimi Y. Assessment of safety and efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane on bone and knee joints in osteoarthritis animal model. J Bone Miner Metab. 2013 Jan;31(1):16-25. doi: 10.1007/s00774-012-0378-9. Epub 2012 Aug 10. PMID: 23011466. ↩︎
  11. Cordingley DM, Cornish SM. Omega-3 Fatty Acids for the Management of Osteoarthritis: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2022 Aug 16;14(16):3362. doi: 10.3390/nu14163362. PMID: 36014868; PMCID: PMC9413343. ↩︎
  12. Thielecke F, Blannin A. Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Sport Performance-Are They Equally Beneficial for Athletes and Amateurs? A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 30;12(12):3712. doi: 10.3390/nu12123712. PMID: 33266318; PMCID: PMC7760705. ↩︎
  13. Gammone MA, Riccioni G, Parrinello G, D’Orazio N. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Benefits and Endpoints in Sport. Nutrients. 2018 Dec 27;11(1):46. doi: 10.3390/nu11010046. PMID: 30591639; PMCID: PMC6357022. ↩︎
  14. de la Puente Yagüe M, Collado Yurrita L, Ciudad Cabañas MJ, Cuadrado Cenzual MA. Role of Vitamin D in Athletes and Their Performance: Current Concepts and New Trends. Nutrients. 2020 Feb 23;12(2):579. doi: 10.3390/nu12020579. PMID: 32102188; PMCID: PMC7071499. ↩︎
  15. Clark KL, Sebastianelli W, Flechsenhar KR, Aukermann DF, Meza F, Millard RL, Deitch JR, Sherbondy PS, Albert A. 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Curr Med Res Opin. 2008 May;24(5):1485-96. doi: 10.1185/030079908×291967. Epub 2008 Apr 15. PMID: 18416885. ↩︎

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