About 85 percent of people with osteoporosis suffer from bone pain, according to a study published in a 2007 issue of “Clinical Calcium.” Bone pain is characterized as aching or overall discomfort in your bones. However, bone pain is more of a symptom of bone injury or disease rather than a condition, MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institute of Health, says. Relieving bone pain often involves using calcium to treat the condition causing the pain.
Daily Calcium Intake
Daily calcium needs vary depending on age. Adults between the ages of 19 and 50 require 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily, the University of Maryland Medical Center says. People over the age of 51 need 1,200 milligrams of calcium. Adolescents that are 9 to 18 need about 1,300 milligrams of calcium. Children between the ages of 1 and 8 need 500 to 800 milligrams per day. Newborns up to infants that are 7 months in age need between 210 and 270 milligrams of calcium daily.
Bone Pain Causes and Calcium
Too much or too little calcium is a possible cause of conditions like osteoporosis and bone cancer, MedlinePlus notes. Bone pain generally occurs as a result of trauma as well as conditions like metastatic bone cancer and osteoporosis. The location, time and pattern of bone pain help determine its cause and possible course of treatment. Bone X-rays, blood tests as well as urine studies also help diagnose what is causing the bone pain. Possible ways of treating bone pain sometimes involve the use of anti-inflammatory medications, antibiotics and pain relievers in addition to calcium.
Calcitonin and Osteoporosis
Calcium loss or demineralization of your bones leads to osteoporosis. Bone pain is a common symptom of osteoporosis. But most treatments target increasing bone mineral density and hardly focus on pain relief, according to a study published in a 2007 issue of “Clinical Calcium.” The study was nevertheless able to determine that the use of biphosphonate medications and calcitonin, a hormone that helps your body metabolize calcium, have displayed analgesic effects on people suffering from osteoporosis. Further research is needed to better understand how calcitonin use helps relieve bone pain while alleviating osteoporosis.
Repair Bone Fracture
A study published in a 2008 issue of “The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery” found that the use of calcium phosphate bone cement to treat bone fractures is associated with a lower prevalence of pain at the fracture site. More research is needed to determine the relationship of calcium phosphate bone cement use with bone pain relief.
References
- "Clinical Calcium"; Bone diseases with Pain: Osteoporosis; Hayashi Y; April 2007
- "The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery"; The Use of Calcium Phosphate Bone Cement in Fracture Treatment. A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials; Bajammal SS, et al.; January 2008
- MedlinePlus; Bone Pain or Tenderness; Linda J. Vorvick; May 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Calcium
