Glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance that helps create a tough form of connective tissue called cartilage in joints throughout your body. Your doctor may recommend supplemental forms of glucosamine to treat arthritis in your knees or other joints. However, natural glucosamine is unrelated to bone formation or repair in your body, and supplemental glucosamine plays no role in the healing or treatment of broken bones.
Cartilage
The cartilage in your joints and elsewhere in your body contains specialized cells called chondrocytes, according to the State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center. These cells produce a surrounding substance called a matrix that gives your cartilage its durability and strength. Cartilage produced in your joints with the help of glucosamine is a specialized variety called fibrocartilage. It has an interlaced network of thickened fibers that helps cushion and protect the bones in your joint surfaces.
Bone Basics
The bones in your body are made primarily from a protein called collagen and a mineral compound called calcium phosphorus, according to the KidsHealth website. Sodium and other minerals also contribute to your bone structure. Although your bones typically reach their adult proportions by the time you reach your 20s, your body continues to break down and replace your bone tissue throughout your life. Specialized cells in your bones called osteoblasts create new bone tissue and help repair bone damage.
Bone Repair
When you break a bone, your body naturally starts the repair process, KidsHealth reports. In addition to osteoblasts, which form new bone at the point of the break, the process utilizes specialized cells called osteocytes to carry nutrients to developing blood vessels, as well as cells called osteoclasts, which help give your bone the appropriate shape. Your bones won't heal properly if they move while new bone tissue forms, so if you break a bone, your doctor will likely use a cast to restrict your movements and promote healing.
Glucosamine Supplement Uses
If you have the form of degenerative arthritis called osteoarthritis, long-term use of glucosamine supplements may slow down that disease's destruction of the cartilage on your joint surfaces, according to MedlinePlus. If you have arthritis in the temporomandibular joints of your jaw, use of supplemental glucosamine can help reduce your pain symptoms for extended periods. Unverified uses for glucosamine include promotion of weight loss and treatment of glaucoma and inflammatory bowel disease. Glucosamine supplements are available in forms that include glucosamine sulfate, n-acetyl glucosamine and glucosamine hydrochloride.
Considerations
If you have multiple bone breaks or break a large bone like your femur, your doctor may use metal pins or screws to hold the fractures together during healing, KidsHealth notes. In addition to cartilage formation, your body uses glucosamine to help make the ligaments and tendons that hold your joints together. Supplemental forms of glucosamine often contain synthetic forms of another cartilage component called chondroitin. Consult your doctor for more information.
