- With Mayo Clinic rheumatologist
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
Dr. April Chang-Miller is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology and is a consultant in the Division of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
Dr. Chang-Miller's primary field is rheumatology with special interests in inflammatory joint diseases called seronegative spondyloarthropathies such as ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. She also cares for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.
The New York City native is a graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine and had been with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., between 1991 and 2002 when she relocated to Mayo Clinic, Arizona. She is a fellow in the American College of Rheumatology and has been on the board of directors of the Arthritis Foundation North Central Chapter.
Definition (1)
- 'Degenerative changes' in the spine: Is this arthritis?
Treatments and drugs (4)
- Botox injections: Can they relieve arthritis pain?
- Hip resurfacing: An alternative to conventional hip replacement?
- Arthritis pain medications: Do they raise blood pressure?
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Lifestyle and home remedies (3)
- MSM for arthritis pain: Is it safe?
- Glucosamine: Does it affect blood sugar?
- Water exercise for arthritis: Does pool temperature matter?
Alternative medicine (2)
- Glucosamine supplements: Can they rebuild cartilage?
- Yucca: Can it relieve arthritis pain?
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Glucosamine supplements: Can they rebuild cartilage?
Can glucosamine supplements help rebuild cartilage in people with osteoarthritis?
Answer
from April Chang-Miller, M.D.
Many manufacturers market dietary supplements that they claim can rebuild cartilage. But little scientific evidence supports this claim. The most studied of these supplements is glucosamine sulfate.
Glucosamine is a natural compound in your body that helps make your cartilage strong and rigid. Glucosamine is also sold as a nutritional supplement in many drugstores and health food stores.
Osteoarthritis causes the breakdown of joint cartilage and can affect any joint. Because glucosamine is a component of normal cartilage, it is thought that glucosamine supplements may be able to help the body repair damaged cartilage.
While some studies have shown that glucosamine may slow the progression of osteoarthritis, others have indicated that glucosamine provides no more benefit than does a placebo. If you have arthritis, consult with your doctor before you start taking glucosamine supplements.
Next questionYucca: Can it relieve arthritis pain?
- Kalunian KC. Investigational approaches to the pharmacologic therapy of osteoarthritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 18, 2009.
- Sawitzke AD, et al. The effect of glucosamine and/or chondroitin sulfate on the progression of knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2008;58:3183.
