We review current treatment of cartilage disorders in sports medicine, especially symptomatic slow-acting drugs for the treatment of these disorders such as chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate and hyaluronic acid. Chondroitin sulfate is a safe and effective drug that ameliorates or resolves the symptoms of joint cartilage pain, such as pain and functional incapacity, and improves the mobility of affected joints through an effect lasting 2 or 3 months. Moreover, a recent clinical trial showed that chondroitin sulfate produced a statistically significant improvement in swelling and/or joint effusion compared with placebo. The trial also showed the efficacy of the combination of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine. The results of several clinical trials have shown that both glucosamine sulfate and hyaluronic acid show statistically significant efficacy in improving the main symptoms of chondropathies. The present article describes the advantages of the use of these substances in sports medicine, their mechanism of action, and their possible role in modifying the course of chondral disease.