Informal Experiments: Reduce Joint Pain

We’re looking for 60  men and women who live in the US to participate in a really cool project we’ve got going on. If you live in the US and are willing to participate, here are the details.

The goal

The project we refer to above is designed to look at the effect of a specific nutritional supplement on joint pain and range of motion.  This supplement has been designed to reduce pain and inflammation while lubricating joints and helping them move more easily and through a greater range of motion.  Therefore, if you suffer from joint pain, this is something you might want to try.

The supplement

This supplement – which will remain anonymous throughout the course of the project – is a commercially available joint care product. It has been proven safe and effective in numerous trials. However, we simply can’t tell you which brand it is because of required anonymity.  What we can tell you is this. Should you participate in the project, we’ll mail you all the supplements you need for the protocol, free of charge.

The protocol

To determine how your joints feel and their range of motion, you’ll be required to fill out a series of questionnaires based on your experiences without an exercise challenge, during an exercise challenge, and the next day after an exercise challenge.   Should you participate, we’ll ask you to fill these questionnaires out once a week for a few weeks in a row.  In addition to filling out these questionnaires, you’ll also be asked to take 1 capsule per day (i.e. the recommended dose) of the supplement mentioned above.

So, here’s how the protocol would look:

First week of the project (July 5th-July11th):

• Note: no nutritional supplement required this week
• First thing in the morning on Monday, fill out questionnaire
• After filling out questionnaire, perform 30 minute exercise challenge (any time during day)*
• Immediately after exercise challenge on Monday, fill out questionnaire again
• First thing in the morning on Tuesday, fill out questionnaire again
• Continue with your normal exercise for the rest of the week (no further questionnaires this week)

Second week of the project (July 12th-July 18th):

• Note: begin taking recommended dose (1 capsule daily) of the nutritional supplement
• First thing in the morning on Monday, fill out questionnaire
• After filling out questionnaire, perform 30 minute exercise challenge (same time as last week)*
• Immediately after exercise challenge on Monday, fill out questionnaire again
• First thing in the morning on Tuesday, fill out questionnaire again
• Continue with your normal exercise for the rest of the week (no further questionnaires this week)

Third week of the project (July 19th-July 25th):

• Note: keep taking recommended dose of the nutritional supplement
• First thing in the morning on Monday, fill out questionnaire
• After filling out questionnaire, perform 30 minute exercise challenge (same time as last week)*
• Immediately after exercise challenge on Monday, fill out questionnaire again
• First thing in the morning on Tuesday, fill out questionnaire again
• Continue with your normal exercise for the rest of the week (no further questionnaires this week)

Fourth week of the project (July 26th-August 1st):

• Note: keep taking recommended dose of the nutritional supplement
• First thing in the morning on Monday, fill out questionnaire
• After filling out questionnaire, perform 30 minute exercise challenge (same time as last week)*
• Immediately after exercise challenge on Monday, fill out questionnaire again
• First thing in the morning on Tuesday, fill out questionnaire again
• Continue with your normal exercise for the rest of the week (no further questionnaires this week)

Fifth week of the project (August 2nd-August 8th):

• Note: keep taking recommended dose of the nutritional supplement
• First thing in the morning on Monday, fill out questionnaire
• After filling out questionnaire, perform 30 minute exercise challenge (same time as last week)*
• Immediately after exercise challenge on Monday, fill out questionnaire again
• First thing in the morning on Tuesday, fill out questionnaire again
• Continue with your normal exercise for the rest of the week (no further questionnaires this week)

Last measurement days (August 9th and 10th):

• Note: discontinue use of nutrition supplement
• First thing in the morning on Monday, fill out questionnaire
• After filling out questionnaire, perform 30 minute exercise challenge (same time as last week)*
• Immediately after exercise challenge on Monday, fill out questionnaire again
• First thing in the morning on Tuesday, fill out questionnaire again

*The exercise challenge is dependent on the area of your joint pain.  If you have elbow or shoulder pain, it would be an upper body challenge and if you have knee or ankle pain, it would be a lower body challenge.

You can participate if

• You live in the US
• You are between 18 and 70 years of age
• You weigh 200lbs or less
• You currently exercise at least 3x per week
• You have regular pain in one (or more) of the following joints: ankle, knee, shoulder, or elbow
• Your joint pain is chronic and the most recent flare-up has lasted at least 1 month
• You are willing to avoid NSAIDS and other analgesic medications during the course of the project
• You are willing to perform the “exercise challenge” 1 day per week for the duration of the project
  • This “exercise challenge” would be in addition to your regular exercise program
  • This “exercise challenge” would last no longer than 30 minutes
  • This “exericse challenge” would consist of either an upper or a  lower body challenge
• You are willing to fill out a simple questionnaire:
  • One morning per week for the duration of the project
  • Immediately after the weekly “exercise challenge” for the duration of the project
  • The morning after the weekly  “exercise challenge” for the duration of the project
• You are willing to take the recommended nutritional supplement with breakfast each day
• You are able to send us your questionnaire responses at the end of each week during the project

You are not eligible to participate if:

• You weight more than 200lbs
• You are allergic to eggs
• You are pregnant or breastfeeding
• You are currently taking methotrexate or immunosuppressive medications
• You are currently taking glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, or MSM
• You use NSAIDS or other analgesic medications during the project duration
• You are unwilling to perform the exercise challenge weekly
• You are unwilling to fill out the required questionnaires and return them to us weekly
• You intend on changing your diet/training program in a major way during the course of this project

Timeline

We need all 60 men and women enrolled by June 25th at the latest, which gives you about 9 days to contact us and let us know you’re in.  Once enrolled, we’ll send out the free supplements and the questionnaires.  The official measurement period begins on July the 5th and wraps up August 10th.  (See outline above for specific dates).

Risks

There are minimal risks associated with participating in this project. The exercise challenge and questionnaire process poses minimal risk.  And the supplement, as indicated, is commercially available, tested safe, and widely used.

Benefits

There are a few benefits associated with your participation.

• First, you get free supplements.
• Second, you get to assess your joint pain and range of motion.
• Third, you get to take a supplement designed to improve your joint health and range of motion.
• Finally, you get to contribute to the body of knowledge out there with respect to improving joint pain/range of motion.

How to get involved

So, if you meet the criterion above and you’re interested in participating, here’s what I need you to do:

1) Email us at research@precisionnutrition.com. This is how you can let us know you’re in.  Note: in your email, please state the following:

• Your full name
• The full address and phone number of where we can ship your product
• Confirmation that you’ve read the criterion above and are 100% eligible to participate
• Confirmation that you’ve read the risks/benefits and give your consent to participate

So, your email should look like this.

“Hey Precision Nutrition, I’m in.  I would like to participate in the joint pain project.  My name is Joe Smith.  You can ship my product to 1234 Joint Pain Way, Madison, WI, 89012.   My contact number is 555-123-4567.  I have read the criterion in the blog post and I am 100% eligible to participate.  Also, I give my informed consent to participate.  Thanks.  Joe”

2) Once we hear from you, we’ll follow up to let you know that you’ve been approved.  We’ll also send you your questionnaires and your supplements.

Please note: we’ll be contacting all applicants around the 28th of June, when all responses are received. So if you don’t hear from us before then, don’t get antsy. I promise we’ll be in touch around the 28th.

Also note: the project is first-come, first-serve.  So, if you really want in, and you meet our criterion, let us know right away.  We expect interest to be high.  So don’t miss out by waiting too long to contact us.

Questions

If you’re serious about participating and have any questions, please email us at research@precisionnutrition.com.  You can also contact us at this address to let us know you’re interested in participating.