Deca increases the synovial fluid in the bursas between our joints. So the relief from joint pain is actually more cushion. As far as healing properties versus masking symptoms? I think that if you use deca durring a cycle and have bad joints, and durring cycle joint pain is alleviated, then it is like buying some time for your joints, and wont nesasarily make them any worse, but when you come off of deca, synovial fluids decrease, and your back to where you were except with a little more gains in strength and size. So when you do your next cycle that does NOT include deca, your joints will suffer a little more because you are adding more stress to them via new strength gains.