Glucosamine No Help for Bad Back

Q. My husband and I are in our 50s. We are having much pain from arthritis. His is in his knees. I have had my thumb joint removed due to osteoarthritis and now I am told I need hip replacement surgery.
Glucosamine and chondroitin seemed to help for a while, but now we are back to limping. What can you tell us about the benefits and risks of these supplements? Are there any other options?
A. A large government-sponsored study of glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis of the knee determined that these supplements were no better than placebo for mild to moderate arthritis (Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, online June 4, 2010). A Norwegian study has found that glucosamine was ineffective for back pain due to spinal arthritis (Journal of the American Medical Association, July 7, 2010).
Although neither study noted serious adverse events, some readers of this column report that their cholesterol rises when taking glucosamine and chondroitin.
We are sending you our new Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis with far more information on drugs, herbs, supplements and home remedies. Other approaches include herbs such as turmeric, boswellia, ginger and nettles. Remedies like soap, grape juice and Certo or pineapple may also help ease inflammation.