Bone pain: Symptoms, Cause, Treatment & Home Remedies

Introduction

Bone pain means pain or discomfort in the bone. This pain is different from muscle pain and joint pain because it is constant. The main cause of bone pain is believed to be diseases that affect the bone.

Bone pain is one of the main symptoms of bone cancer, so it should not be ignored. Bone cancer most often occurs in the long bones of the upper arms and legs, but it can affect any bone. Its pain can be mild or severe, it can be for a short time or even for a long time and it can spread in one place or even. This pain is sometimes mistaken for arthritis pain in older people and general pain in children. X-rays and bone tests are done to test it.

The treatment of bone pain tries to reduce the pain, heal the fracture and prevent other complications from it. For this, painkillers, bisphosphonate drugs, radiation therapy, and surgery are used.

Bone Pain Symptoms

The main symptom of bone pain is bone pain after doing anything. Other symptoms depend on their cause.

The following are the symptoms of bone pain depending on the cause –

Injury

• Swelling
• Visible bruising
• Sound of breaking of bone upon injury

Mineral deficiency

• Muscle and tissue pain
• Sleep problems
• Cramps
• Tiredness
• weakness

Osteoporosis

• Back pain
• Neck Pain
• Humpback
• Loss of height over time

Cancer that has spread to the bone from another organ

• Headache
• Chest pain
• Fractures
• Seizures
• Dizziness
• Jaundice
• Breathlessness
• Abdominal swelling

Bone cancer 

Excessive bone fractures, lumps under the skin, and numbness or tingling when the tumor presses on the vein.

Lack of blood supply

• Joint pain
• Joint dysfunction
• Weakness

Infection

• Redness
• Ridges at the site of infection
• Swelling
• Warm skin at the site of infection
• Inability to move properly
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite

Leukemia

• Fatigue
• Discoloration of the skin
• Breathlessness
• Excessive night sweats
• Unexplained weight loss

Bone Pain Causes

What are the causes of bone pain?

Bone pain can occur due to injury or any other problem, such as:

• Bone cancer (Primary malignancy: cancer that starts in the bone)
• Metastatic malignancy
• Reduced blood supply (such as in sickle cell anemia)
• Bone infection
• Infection
• Getting hurt
• Leukemia
• Osteoporosis
• Stress fractures in young children
• Fracture

• Osteomalacia: thinning of the bones, especially from vitamin deficiency or calcium deficiency
• Multiple myeloma: a type of cancer
• Paget’s disease: A disease of the bones
• Osteoarthritis
• Hypocalcemia
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• TB in bone

What are the risk factors for bone pain?

• Vitamin D deficiency
• Osteoporosis
• From bisphosphonate therapy (Osteocronosis: decaying of the skin of the jaw, causing the inner bones to become visible)
• Prednisolone therapy can lead to fracture of the vertebrae
• Pregnancy

Prevention of Bone Pain

How can bone pain be avoided?

Bone pain can be avoided by maintaining strong and healthy bones. For this keep the following things in mind :

• Exercise
• Get enough calcium and vitamin D.
• Do not smoke
• Protect yourself from getting hurt.
• Wear protective equipment such as pads, gloves, etc. to avoid injury during sports.
• Pain from chemotherapy or fractures takes time to heal, so keep the affected area protected and don’t move too much.

For some people, assistive devices such as braces, splints, and plasters provide protection to the bone and also help reduce pain.

Diagnosis of Bone Pain

In order to prescribe treatment, the doctor will need to find out the cause of the bone pain. By correcting its cause, bone pain can be cured to a great extent.

Your doctor will do a physical examination of you and ask you about problems you have had in the past, such as where the pain is occurring, when the pain was first experienced, whether the pain is increasing and whether there are any other symptoms along with the pain.

The following tests can also be done for this:

Blood tests can be done to detect vitamin deficiencies and cancer. It also detects infections and disorders of the adrenal gland that can affect the bones.

• Bone X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans can also detect bone injuries, lesions, and tumors.
• A urine test can be done to diagnose bone marrow problems.
• Hormone level test
• Testing of pituitary and adrenal gland functions

In some cases, your doctor may need to do more than one test to determine the exact cause of bone pain.

Bone Pain Treatment

If your doctor doesn’t know the exact cause of the bone pain and suspects an infection, he or she may give you antibiotics. Even if your symptoms get better within a few days, do not stop taking the medicine.

Following are the ways to treat bone pain:

Pain relievers

Most doctors give pain relievers for bone pain, but these medicines do not cure the cause of the pain. Medicines available at the medical store such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be used. Prescription drugs such as paracetamol and morphine are used for mild and severe pain.

Antibiotics

If you have a bone infection, your doctor may give you strong antibiotics that kill germs.

Nutritional supplements

People who have osteoporosis need to have improved calcium and vitamin D levels. Your doctor will give you supplements for mineral deficiencies. Other medicines used for the treatment are as follows –

Anti-inflammatory drugs (anti-inflammatory drugs)

• Hormonal drugs
• Anti-seizure drugs (anticonvulsant drugs)
• Corticosteroid drugs
• Antidepressant drugs (anti-depressant drugs)

Cancer treatment

Bone pain caused by cancer is difficult to cure. To cure it, the doctor would have to treat cancer. Common treatments for cancer are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy (which can increase pain). Bisphosphonate are drugs that can prevent bone loss and pain. Sleep inducers can also be used.

Surgery

Surgery may be required to remove parts of the bone that are no longer active due to infection. In surgery can also be used to repair broken bones and remove cancerous tumors. In some severe cases, surgery in which the joints are replaced may also be used.

Bone Pain Complications

Bone pain can lead to the following complications –

Pressure on the spine

Damage to the small bones (vertebrae) in the spinal cord can damage the entire spinal cord and cause serious nerve problems.

 High calcium in the blood (hypocalcaemia)

High levels of calcium in the blood can cause some problems. Its symptoms are as follows :

• Frequent urination
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Constipation
• Extreme weakness and fatigue
• Muscle strain
• Confusion or change in behavior

Home remedies for bone pain

1. Cloves

Eat two cloves of garlic every morning on an empty stomach with water. Put a few cloves of garlic in any cooking oil and fry it. Cool this oil till it becomes lukewarm and massage the affected area. Do this method two times a single day. The medicinal properties of garlic cure neck pain, swelling, and burning.

2. Turmeric (gives relive from Bone pain)

Turmeric provides relief from joint pain by increasing blood circulation and also reduces stiffness in the neck. So use more and more turmeric.

3. Milk (gives relive from Bone pain)

Milk provides calcium and vitamin D to the bones, which makes bones strong. If milk is not liked then other foods made from milk like cheese, curd, etc. can also be eaten.

4. Ginger

Ginger is rich in medicinal properties that accelerate blood circulation, thereby providing relief from neck pain. Boil ginger in water and cool it and add honey to it. Try to drink this tea 3 times a single day daily for a week. Massage of the affected area with ginger oil will also provide relief.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

Soak a cloth in apple vinegar and apply it to the painful area and leave it for a few hours. Do this method twice a day. You are also taking a bath by adding two cups of apple cider vinegar to the lukewarm water. Drinking a glass of water mixed with raw apple cider vinegar and honey will also provide relief in pain.

6. Coconut Oil (gives relive from Bone pain)

Heat a cup of coconut oil, add two tablespoons of red chili powder to it.  Gently apply this mixture to the Pain Happening area and leave it for about 20 minutes. For more relief, apply this mixture to the painful area daily.

7. Be Active

Always be active for relief from joint pain, that is, the movement of the joints should be done. Staying in the same position for a long time also causes stiffness in the joints.

8. Hot Compress (gives relive from Bone pain)

For compression, wrap a hot water bottle in a towel and compress the neck. Whereas, to make a cold compress, wrap the ice cubes in a towel, compress it with that towel. While doing the compress, there should be continuous compression of the neck for at least two to three minutes. Repeat this whole process in 15 to 20 minutes. Does this method twice a day till you get relief?

9. Hot and cold compresses (gives relive from Bone pain)

To get relief from joint pain, hot and cold compresses provide relief and hot compresses improve blood circulation, while cold compresses reduce swelling and prickling.

10. Injury

Injury to the joints can also break the bone, so protect the joints from injury. Wear joint safety pads whenever you play a sport that involves a risk of injury to your joints. Wear braces even when playing tennis and golf.

11. Keep the weight under control

Excess body weight puts more pressure on the knees and waist, due to which there is a fear of breakdown of cartilage. In such a situation, it is very important to keep the weight under control.

12. Exercise (gives relive from Bone pain)

Do stretching exercises only thrice a week. Instead of starting stretching right away, do warm-up exercises beforehand.

13. Better Posture

If you want to get relief from joint pain rapidly, it is very important to get up, sit and walk in the right posture. Correct posture protects the joints from the neck to the knees.

14. Yoga (gives relive from Bone pain)

Add and Make exercise a part of your daily routine for joint health. Swimming is also a good exercise for relieving joint pain.

15. Massage (gives relive from Bone pain)

Massage provides great relief in body pain; the same process is also applicable in joint pain. Massage the affected area with coconut, olive, mustard, or garlic oil. Rubbing the painful area with light hands Doing this will give relief from pain.