Collagen and magnesium for tendonitis: what works and what doesn't

Collagen and magnesium for tendonitis: promises and evidence

The promise is tempting: regenerating tendons, cartilage and muscles with a couple of daily pills. Someone with shoulder tendonitis opens the discussion by asking whether collagen and magnesium really help repair damaged tissue or whether it's just another health-food store myth. The conversation quickly fills up with experiences, brands, doses and the odd disappointment.

The first thing that comes up is the cheap route: pigs' trotters, a natural source of collagen, and a handful of almonds a day for magnesium. The homemade recipe coexists with the pharmacy jar. And that's where the confusion over formulations begins, because not all magnesium is the same.

Which type of magnesium to buy and why it matters

Carbonate, oxide, citrate and amino acid chelate are not absorbed equally. Magnesium oxide has a bioavailability of just 4%, according to the figures cited in the conversation, and is used more as a laxative than as a repair supplement. The chelate with aspartate or arginate is pointed to as the preferred option. The María Lajusticia jar bought at the pharmacy for 18 euros for 450 tablets is the most frequently mentioned, though not the only one: the Solaray brand also comes up.

Dosage generates disagreement. Some take three pills a day, one with each meal, along with three grams of vitamin C and one Omega 3. Others warn that too much magnesium at night leaves you far too groggy the next day, because it relaxes the muscles. The recommendation circulating is to start with two, one in the morning and one at night, and increase only if you notice nothing.

How much collagen you need to take for it to do anything

Here the consensus is firmer: below 10 grams a day, collagen does nothing, according to a calculation circulating in the thread. A jar of collagen with magnesium requires taking four tablets a day to reach the minimum, which clashes with the convenience of a single pill. The alternative proposed is to give the body the bricks instead of the finished product: gelatin, N-acetyl cysteine and vitamin C, because ingested collagen breaks down into amino acids and the body distributes them where needed.

Vitamin C appears as an essential companion in almost every combination, because it improves absorption. Some rely on juices, others prefer the 1-gram tablet. MSM is added to the list for tendons and knees, with the warning that it must be taken for months, not weeks.

How long it takes to notice a difference and what those who have tried it say

The timeframe that keeps coming up is more than six months. One case of knee pain that cleared up with María Lajusticia collagen, another of elbow pain, and a woman with muscle tears after a serious accident who also improved. Against that, one user has been taking the pills for two months and has noticed no improvement in his joints. The range runs from real relief to autosuggestion, and nobody has the formula to tell them apart.

The most specific side effect reported is an acidification of saliva that caused gum problems and disappeared when the supplement was stopped. Some also blame collagen for Dupuytren's disease, though that attribution is immediately rebutted: the condition is associated with trauma, diabetes, alcohol or thyroid problems.

The bone broth route and free fish bones

Against the pharmacy jar, the budget option: ask for bones at the butcher's and fish bones, heads and skins at the fishmonger's, freeze them and make broth. Fourteen hours in a slow cooker, a night in the fridge to skim off the fat, and jars in the freezer that last a fortnight. In Eastern Europe the result is eaten cold, like a salted jelly with chunks of meat.

Magnesium also comes from the pantry: almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate and pure cocoa. With one awkward caveat: some gave up chocolate because it constipated them, and tannins are blamed for the astringent effect.

The physiotherapist who skips the pill

The most sceptical camp doesn't dispute the supplement, it disputes the approach. For tendonitis, the recommendation is a good physiotherapist who applies dry needling: torture, but effective. Also percutaneous intratissue electrolysis for knee injuries that won't heal, with the warning that it's for those who are truly worn out.

The rest of the prescription is no mystery: stretching, strong muscles so the bones don't have to do the work, a healthy weight, maintenance exercise from 40 onwards and avoiding overexertion. A user who has had tendonitis for four months sums it up bluntly: until the warm weather arrives, it won't heal.

The prediction, with reservations: collagen and magnesium will keep being sold as tendon repairers as long as the evidence remains indirect and the timelines long. Nobody here has presented an MRI showing regeneration. Nor has anyone shown that it doesn't help.