There aren’t many people who can claim to have played Roger Federer in an international tennis tournament and emerged victorious - but former German tennis pro Markus Menzler can! Between 1997 and 2001, he pursued a professional career and celebrated a number of memorable wins. After his retirement from professional sport, he became a tennis trainer and still spends most of his time firing balls on indoor and outdoor courts. Such physical exertion has, however, taken its toll on his body. In April 2019, after many years of intense teaching and training, he was diagnosed with a so-called acute bone bruise in one femoral head.

This painful accumulation of fluid in the bone is caused, among other things, by chronic stress reactions (mechanical overloading) or trauma to the bone. This can be caused, for example, by sport that involves jumping and twisting movements, or short bursts of intense exertion. Healing time depends on the extent of the trauma and the oedema, however, it’s usually between six months and two years.

And to make matters worse, the bone-bruise diagnosis coincided with the onset of coxarthrosis – a degenerative arthritis of the hip joint. The two conditions are connected, as bone oedema can lead to the development of osteoarthritis if left untreated, or can aggravate the condition if it’s already present. Cell fluid from the oedema increases pressure inside the bone, bone skin and cartilage, which also impairs the metabolism of the cartilage. This in turn promotes arthrosis.

Luckily, Markus’s doctor was familiar with GELITA and the role collagen peptides can play in improved joint health and cartilage regeneration. Markus recalls: “I first became aware of GELITA through my doctor. After a consultation with Dr Jutta Hugenberg, from GELITA, I began daily supplementation with 10g FORTIGEL^® in May 2019. A follow-up appointment in August 2019 confirmed complete regression of the bone bruise. Since the beginning of the supplementation, my hip is significantly more mobile and I’m no longer in pain.”

So how could this be? And what’s the science behind supplementation with FORTIGEL^®? Well, after oral administration, these specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP^®s) pass through the intestinal mucosa and enter the blood stream partially intact. Once inside the body, FORTIGEL^® accumulates in the joint cartilage, where it stimulates the so-called chondrocytes - cells which are responsible for regeneration of human cartilage - to produce even more collagen and proteoglycans. This leads to increased synthesis of these two major components of cartilage dry mass, and helps combat progressive degeneration of cartilage tissue.

Much clinical data exists, all of which documents the beneficial effect of FORTIGEL^® in patients affected by degenerative joint disease. In fact, research has been carried out in that particular field for the past three decades, involving 2500 volunteers - primarily patients with diagnosed osteoarthritis in hip or knee joints. The studies all support the positive effect of FORTIGEL^® on joint health, including significant reduction of pain, reduced need of analgesics and improvement of joint mobility.

Markus concluded: “The MRI follow-up in October 2020 continues to confirm a preserved cartilage layer. As a preventive osteoarthritis treatment and one which maintains the cartilage layer, and promotes increased mobility, I highly recommend FORTIGEL^®. In fact, I still take this product on a daily basis.”

If you want to know more about our portfolio of Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP^®s), or need expert support and advice, contact us today.