Thanks, all...
As to my hubby's arthritis - it's been confirmed by xray.
He's taking celebrex for the pain - it helps a lot.
He's thinking about the surgery, but he needs to drop around 80 (more) pounds before he'd be a reasonable candidate. He's already lost about 60 pounds with the atkins diet, and that alone has made a lot of difference.
He takes the glucosamine chondroitin combo, along with MSM.
For soft tissue (mine), I take N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NOT glucosamine sulfate), and MSM. Advil when I need it, physical therapy on and off. Just got done with a round of PT with a new therapist.
Kinda off topic, but...
My first one was a bowler, AND a professional athlete, and although he said that of course my elbow would feel better if I didn't bowl for a while, he understood the drive, and wouldn't dream of telling me to quit. The latest therapist, who is NOT a bowler or athlete, wouldn't tell me to my face, but told my doctor that there wasn't much he could do until I quit bowling. I think it's funny - if I were a golfer or tennis pro, he wouldn't have said that at all - he would have worked with the client "as found", and tried to fix the problem. I'm going to look for a new therapist.