Some nutritional deficiencies do not affect your bones or joints, while others can leave your bones and joints feeling so weak and painful that it hurts to sit or stand no matter how much you try to get comfortable. Your joints are what connect the space where bones meet, almost like a hinge on a door. Their location and function makes them prone to injury and pain, even if you don't have a nutritional deficiency.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays a vital role in keeping your body healthy, from your hair and nails to your bones, joints and organs. Vitamin C helps form, maintain and repair tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bones and teeth. A number of symptoms can arise due to a vitamin C deficiency, such as swollen and painful joints, bleeding gums, easy bruising, nosebleeds and a weakened immune system. Your joints can even bleed if you have a severe vitamin C deficiency, according to DermNet NZ, and render you unable to walk.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps maintain your calcium and phosphate levels, and is imperative when it comes to having strong bones and a healthy body. When you develop a vitamin D deficiency, your bones become weak and soft. While your bones are completely separate from your joints, just as a door is different from the hinges that it hangs on, weak bones can affect your joints. Weak bones are more susceptible to bones breaking and slipping out of place; away from the joints. When your joints are not used in the manner in which they are intended, they can become sore and weak, making it difficult to move them.
Calcium
Calcium works by keeping your body healthy and strong. Similar to vitamin D, it's imperative for strong, healthy bones, joints and cartilage. A calcium deficiency can leave your body weak and brittle; this makes it difficult for your bones, joints and cartilage to work together to make mobilization easy or pain-free. When bones break due to a deficiency, this puts added stress on joints, tendons and ligaments.
Considerations
Do not assume that you have weak joints because of a nutritional deficiency. You could have weak joints due to an injury or from being overweight. Similar to a broken bone, adding additional weight or being overweight can weaken joints. It's important to have a proper diagnosis before treating any condition. Once your doctor determines the cause, such as a nutritional deficiency, he may recommend a change in your diet or supplements to help treat it.
References
- MedlinePlus: Vitamin C; February 2011
- DermNet NZ: Scurvy (Vitamin C Deficiency)
- MedlinePlus: Rickets; August 2010
- HelpGuide.org: Calcium and Your Bones: Calcium-Rich Foods, Vitamins and Supplements; Maya W. Paul; and Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.; April 2010
- KidsHealth: Bones, Muscles and Joints; August 2009
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