Joint XL - Anti-Inflammatory

Product Notes:

Joint XL is a whole food, marine-based supplement which provides a full range of nutrients to help treat pain and inflammation quickly, condition the joint capsule, restore healthy synovial fluid, and provide an environment where new cartilage can develop.

Rebuild the Damage with Joint XL

A Source of Chondroitin Sulphate: Green Lipped Mussel, Marine Cartilage, Fish Oil & Rosemary Extract

Joint XL is very high in proteins that contain complex sugars called Glycosaminoglycans which have lubricating effects. These glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin sulphate, heparin sulphate, dermatan sulphate and hyaluronic acid) act as a potent tonic, triggering the body to produce synovial fluid to protect the joints and reduce the risk of joint degradation.

Interpath - The Joint Health Experts

Joints are comprised of at least two bones which meet a common point but remain structurally separate from each other; some examples are knees, elbows, shoulders, hips, fingers, and even the spine.

The strength of joints is provided by bones which are capped by a layer of subchondral bone, and then by a thin layer of cartilage. Cartilage is made from building blocks called proteoglycans.

Proteoglycans are manufactured by chondrocytes, the major cell type in cartilage, and are very good at retaining water. Strong, healthy cartilage has a high water content and provides a virtually frictionless surface for the bones to glide against.

Synovial Fluid

Bathing the ends of the two articulating bones is synovial fluid. This is a thick fluid that is similar in composition to plasma, with the exception that it contains high amounts of hyaluronic acid.

Hyaluronic acid makes synovial fluid very thick and slippery, and helps synovial fluid contribute to the frictionless movement of the two bones against each other, as well as providing all the nutrients to nourish the cartilage. The synovial fluid is contained within a fibrous joint capsule which is lined by the synovial membrane.

Cells within the synovial membrane, called synoviocytes, manufacture hyaluronic acid and many other essential molecules, and prevents hyaluronic acid from escaping the joint space. Healthy synovial fluid has very few cells. Blood is routed around the joint capsule but does not leak into the healthy joint.

Trauma to the joint can occur through many injuries, including dislocation, fracture, infection, or overuse. Cells within the synovial membrane and the cartilage respond to trauma by producing chemicals designed to break down damaged tissue and kill damaged cells. They also destroy infectious agents and rebuild new tissue. This is a normal, healthy process, and protects joints from everyday damage. However, when trauma is persistent, the process of breakdown begins to exceed that of rebuilding.

Proteoglycans begin to breakdown in the cartilage, reducing the ability of cartilage to retain water, thus reducing its ability to protect the articulating ends of the bones. As more cells of the joint become damaged, they die at a rate more rapid than new cells can develop.

The synovial membrane becomes leaky as gaps appear; it can no longer properly control the composition of the synovial fluid. Hyaluronic acid is able to leak out of the gaps, and blood begins to leak in, bringing with it inflammatory cells which produce even more damaging chemicals.

As hyaluronic acid leaks out of the synovial fluid, the fluid becomes thin and watery, and no longer able to properly lubricate the cartilage. This creates a situation where cartilage already damaged by trauma cannot smoothly glide over the cartilage of the opposing bone. This can create erosion of the cartilage to the extent that parts of the subchondral bone can be exposed. At this point, degradation is far outpacing the rebuilding, and the synovial membrane continues to lose its functionality. More inflammatory cells are recruited into the synovial space. At this point, the inflammation caused by the initial trauma becomes the stimulus to drive further degradation, even though the trauma may be long-gone. This is how an injury to the joint can become a degenerative inflammatory process, which if left untreated, can severely and permanently impair the usefulness of the joint and cause chronic pain and loss of mobility.