Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption, which your body uses along with phosphorus to grow and repair bones. You make vitamin D from sunlight, and you can get it from foods like fortified cereals and dairy products, as well as oily fish. If you do not get enough vitamin D from these sources, you may become deficient. The cause of your knee pain may be a vitamin D deficiency because of the lack of calcium.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Dependency
A vitamin D deficiency can develop in people of any age. Even babies may be born with a vitamin D deficiency if their mothers do not get enough vitamin D from food or sunlight. Some people may also have a vitamin D dependency, which is a rare hereditary condition that makes it hard to metabolize vitamin D. A lack of vitamin D impairs bone mineralization, which may lead to serious conditions of bone pain, weakness and even deformity.
Bone Pain
Knee pain is a common symptom of a vitamin D deficiency. Your pain is particularly likely to be related to vitamin D if you also experience other musculoskeletal issues over time, such as hip pain and back pain. Other common symptoms include widespread aches, muscle weakness and fatigue. Your doctor can diagnosis a vitamin D deficiency by checking the levels in your blood. Ideally, your vitamin D levels should be around 30 mg/l. Levels below that level may require you to take a supplement to raise your vitamin D to treat symptoms.
Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee osteoarthritis is a painful condition caused by a breakdown of cartilage in the knee joint. A lack of vitamin D can contribute to knee pain and to trouble walking in osteoarthritis sufferers, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in 2007. Researchers found that almost half of participants in their study were deficient in vitamin D. The lack of vitamin D related to more pain and difficultly walking in those patients. You are at greater risk for developing knee osteoarthritis if you are older or overweight, you injure your knee, or you have a family history of osteoarthritis.
Knock Knees
A lack of vitamin D can make walking painful in adults and older children. It also contributes to the development of knock knees, according to The Merck Manual. Knock knees are a deformity where the knees collapse inward toward each other. This can lead to arthritis of the knee. Knock knees are rarely treated, and only in severe causes is surgery an option. Bowlegs are another possible knee deformity in extreme cases of vitamin D deficiency. Bowlegs are the opposite of knock knees. Instead of the knees moving inward, the knees bow outward away from each other.
