Why Does Prolia Cause Back Pain

Osteoporosis And Back Pain

Osteoporosis is a condition where the bones become thin and weak due to loss of bone minerals. It is estimated in the UK that 2% of women aged 50 years have the condition and this rises to 25% by the age of 80. It can be detected with a simple scan, known as a DEXA*. Women are more susceptible, due to the hormone changes after the menopause. Normal bones rely on sunlight, acting on cells in the skin to produce Vitamin D, together with dietary intake. Either lack of sunlight or a diet poor in Vitamin D may lead to this condition. Dairy products, including milk, eggs, cheese and yoghurt are good sources. Sunlight does not need to be direct and burning to allow Vitamin D production.

If bones are weak they are prone to fracture. It is estimated that 9 million osteoporotic fractures occur around the world each year, most commonly affecting the hip. Back pain is not itself caused by osteoporosis, but can be due to fracture of a vertebra, which may then collapse, causing a forward bend on the spine . This in turn puts more pressure on the vertebrae and others may fracture, worsening the situation. The Dowagers hump, a severe forwards curve in the upper thoracic spine is an extreme example of this.

The other area of the spine vulnerable to trauma in osteoporosis, is the sacrum, the old tail bone. This may be damaged by sitting down too hard on a hard chair, by falling onto the backside, or by banging the hip region. A fracture of the sacrum can cause extreme pain.

When To See A Doctor

Osteoporosis symptoms can cause pain and discomfort. Its important to make an appointment with a doctor immediately if you are experiencing severe pain, particularly in your back, neck, hip, or wrist. You may have a fractured bone that requires evaluation and treatment.

If you need help finding a primary care doctor, you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.

Side Effects Not Requiring Immediate Medical Attention

Some side effects of denosumab may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

Less common

• excess air or gas in the stomach or bowels
• feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings
• feeling of fullness
• lack or loss of strength
• passing gas
• redness, pain, itching, burning, swelling, or a lump under your skin where the shot was given
• sensation of spinning

Applies to denosumab: subcutaneous solution

Also Check: Exercise For Lower Back Pain Mayo Clinic

Eat Healthy And Quit Bad Habits

Everyone needs to get plenty of calcium for bone health. If you have osteoporosis or low bone mass, your doctor might also recommend calcium supplements. In addition, it is important to get plenty of vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium into the bones.

See Food for Thought: Diet and Nutrition for a Healthy Back

How Does Osteoporosis Lead To Pain

Osteoporosis can lead to pain in many different ways.

• In most people, fractures cause pain for six to eight weeks after they occur. However, bone growth is slower in people with osteoporosis, and healing may take longer.
• Hip fractures usually result in chronic pain.
• As the vertebrae fracture, the spinal column collapses, causing chronic back and neck pain.
• Nerve roots can become compressed by the collapse of the spine, causing sciatica and other nerve pain.
• Muscles can spasm, cramp, and pinch nerves as they contract to try to protect fragile joints and bones.
• Microscopic fractures can lead to deep bone pain that some people with osteoporosis describe as feeling like a toothache.
• Some researchers theorize that the process of bone erosion may contribute to inflammation, which increases pain around bones and joints.

People with osteoporosis can also experience pain that is caused by another condition, either one that is related to their osteoporosis or separate and unrelated. Identifying the origin of the pain is the first step in effectively treating it.

You May Like: Advil For Back Pain Dosage

What Other Information Should I Know

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain tests to be sure it is safe for you to receive denosumab injection and to check your body’s response to denosumab injection.

Do not let anyone else use your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.

Compression Fractures And Osteoporosis Pain

The most common cause of osteoporosis pain is a spinal compression fracture. It can cause:

• Sudden, severe back pain that gets worse when you are standing or walking with some relief when you lie down
• Trouble twisting or bending your body, and pain when you do
• Loss of height
• A curved spine called kyphosis, also known as a âdowagerâs hump.â

Bones are fragile in osteoporosis. Fractures can happen even from simple movements that don’t seem dangerous, for example lifting a bag of groceries, twisting to get out of a car, or tripping slightly on a rug.

Fractures can take months to heal. The pain should start to go away as the bone begins to repair itself. However, for some people, osteoporosis pain can last longer.

If you hurt, talk to your doctor. They can help you find ways to manage it.

Read Also: Does Aleve Help With Back Pain

Warning Disclaimer Use For Publication

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.

Denosumab Injection Is Useddenosumab Injection Is In A Class Of Medications Called Rank Ligand Inhibitors It Works To Prevent Bone Loss By Blocking A Certain Receptor In The Body To Decrease Bone Breakdown It Works To Treat Gctb By Blocking A Certain Receptor In The Tumor Cells Which Slows The Tumor Growth It Works To Treat High Calcium Levels By Decreasing Bone Breakdown As The Breakdown Of Bones Releases Calcium

• to reduce the risk of fractures in people who have multiple myeloma , and in people who have certain types of cancer that began in another part of the body but has spread to the bones.
• in adults and some adolescents to treat giant cell tumor of bone that cannot be treated with surgery.
• to treat high calcium levels that are caused by cancer in people who did not respond to other medications.

Read Also: Aleve For Lower Back Pain

How Does Prolia Work

Prolia® helps stop the development of bone-removing cells before they can reach the bones and cause damage. Prolia® is a prescription medicine used to treat osteoporosis in women after menopause who:

• are at high risk for fracture, meaning women who have had a fracture related to osteoporosis, or who have multiple risk factors for fracture
• cannot use another osteoporosis medicine or other osteoporosis medicines did not work well.

Dont Ignore A Compression Fracture

Any time you have back pain that lasts more than a week or two, it is important to see the doctor. Ignoring back pain and potential vertebral compression fractures may lead to bigger problems down the road, such as increased pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, and severe spinal deformity.

See Vertebral Fracture Symptoms

Most vertebral compression fractures are treated nonsurgically, such as with rest, pain medications, or applying ice and/or heat while the fracture eventually heals on its own. If the pain cannot be successfully managed with nonsurgical treatments, surgery may be considered. A couple of surgical options for vertebral compression fractures include:

• Vertebroplasty. This minimally-invasive procedure involves carefully placing a needle through the back and into the compression fracture, delivering bone cement to fill the cracks and re-stabilize the vertebra.

You May Like: Advil Good For Back Pain

Postmenopausal Osteoporosis Affects Your Bones:

• There are cells in your body that remove old bone, and other cells that rebuild bone.
• This ongoing process is part of what keeps your bones strong.
• After menopause, bone-removing cells cause you to lose bone at a rate that is too fast.
• This can leave you with thinner, weaker bones and put you at risk for breaking a bone.

For more information on Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

How Are Prolia And Xgeva Different From Each Other

Prolia and Xgeva both contain the same active drug called denosumab. But these medications have different approved uses.

Prolia is approved to treat osteoporosis and to increase bone mass in certain people. However, Xgeva is approved for the following uses:

• preventing certain bone problems in people with multiple myeloma*
• preventing certain bone problems in people with cancer that has spread to their bones
• treating high blood calcium levels that are caused by cancer
• treating a certain type of bone cancer that cant be treated with surgery

Prolia and Xgeva are each given as injections under your skin . However, Prolia is given once every 6 months, while Xgeva is given once every 4 weeks. The doses of these drugs also differ. If youre taking Prolia, youll receive a 60-mg dose with each injection. But if youre taking Xgeva, youll receive a 120-mg dose with each injection.

You shouldnt take Prolia and Xgeva at the same time. If you have questions about which medication is right for you, talk with your doctor.

* Multiple myeloma is type of cancer that affects your white blood cells.

Read Also: Will Aleve Help Back Pain

Does Prolia Cause Weight Gain

No, it doesnt cause weight gain. Weight gain wasnt reported as a side effect in studies of people using Prolia.

However, some people* did report fluid retention , which caused swelling in their arms or legs. Swelling can cause weight to increase.

If you experience swelling or are concerned about your weight while using Prolia, talk with your doctor.

* This side effect was reported only in females using Prolia to treat osteoporosis after menopause. In this article, we use the term female to refer to someones sex assigned at birth. For information about the difference between sex and gender, see this article.

Mild Side Effects Of Prolia

Mild side effects can occur with Prolia use. This list doesnt include all possible mild side effects of the drug. And some of these side effects are more common with certain uses of Prolia. For more information, you can refer to the drugs medication guide.

Mild side effects that have been reported with Prolia include:

• pain in bones* and muscles, including back, arm, and leg pain
• joint pain
• constipation

These side effects may be temporary, lasting a few days or weeks. But if the side effects last longer than that, bother you, or become severe, be sure to talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Note: After the Food and Drug Administration approves a drug, it tracks and reviews side effects of the medication. If you develop a side effect while taking Prolia and want to tell the FDA about it, visit MedWatch.

* For more information about this side effect, see Side effect specifics below.

Read Also: Is Motrin Good For Back Pain

Side Effects Of Prolia

I had prolia injection a week ago. I’ve developed lower back pain and severe spasms. The spasms are so bad I can hardly get out of bed or even out of a chair. Is there anything I can do or take to alleviate this awful pain.

• Last

when your pain with is gone listen to your body its telling you start more strength training exercise ,water aerobics or just chair exercise .My girlfriend who has osteoporosis went to Dr ,the shot about killed her, Dr put her on high dose of Vit D3 and exercise that was 10 yrs ago she still does today the VitD3is normal dose but she keeps up with exercise now and travels all over the world still .You are your own advocate ,you know best for your body.

Hello , we have a lot of members discussing Prolia treatment in this discussion, . This is a good discussion to accompany that discussion as this one could be focused on side-effects of Prolia. I would like to invite , , , , and to share any side-effects they, or a loved one, had or didn’t have while taking Prolia.

, have you spoke with your provider about this pain?

I have been on Prolia for 3-1/2 years and have not had any side effects.

I have been on prolia about two years, so far no side effects.

Pine, I hope you don’t develop this or any other side effect. But for the rest of the forum, does anyone else have this problem? If so, do you have any helpful remedies? Thanks!

What Are Some Side Effects That I Need To Call My Doctor About Right Away

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:

All products:

• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash hives itching red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever wheezing tightness in the chest or throat trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking unusual hoarseness or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Signs of low calcium levels like muscle cramps or spasms, numbness and tingling, or seizures.
• Mouth sores.
• Swelling in the arms or legs.
• Feeling very tired or weak.
• Any new or strange groin, hip, or thigh pain.
• Very bad bone, joint, or muscle pain.
• Shortness of breath.
• This drug may cause jawbone problems. The risk may be higher with longer use, cancer, dental problems, ill-fitting dentures, anemia, blood clotting problems, or infection. It may also be higher if you have dental work, chemo, radiation, or take other drugs that may cause jawbone problems. Many drugs can do this. Talk with your doctor if any of these apply to you, or if you have questions. Call your doctor right away if you have jaw swelling or pain.

Xgeva®:

Prolia:

You May Like: How Does A Diuretic Help Back Pain

What Treatments Help Kyphosis Caused By Osteoporosis

Treatment of kyphosis depends on your age and the severity of your condition. Non-surgical treatment can help strengthen your back muscles and correct deformed posture.

Common non-surgical treatment for kyphosis includes pain medication or osteoporosis medication that promotes bone-strengthening. Physical therapy or a body brace can help strengthen weakened back muscles. If youre overweight, your treatment plan may include a diet to establish and maintain a healthy body weight.

For severe kyphosis, spinal reconstructive surgery may take the pressure off a pinched nerve and stabilize the spine. Spinal fusion permanently joins two or more vertebrae together. This eliminates painful movement between the vertebrae and can strengthen the spine.

If youre experiencing symptoms of kyphosis, get a proper diagnosis and find out your treatment options. Schedule an appointment online or call one of our offices to arrange a consultation.

You Might Also Enjoy…

• 4.92/5

What Can You Do If You Are Living With Osteoporosis

If you have osteoporosis, you should continue with the lifestyle measures mentioned earlier in terms of eating well, getting enough exercise, avoiding excessive caffeine and alcohol consumption, and not smoking. Make sure that you follow the suggestions of your healthcare provider.You should do all that you can to prevent falls inside and outside of your home. You might want to start with a medical evaluation, which could lead to your healthcare provider providing assistive devices.

Prevent falls inside your home

• Keep your floors free of clutter, including throw rugs and loose wires and cords. Use only non-skid items if you have mats, carpets or area rugs.
• Make sure your lighting is bright enough so that you can see well.
• Do not use cleaners that leave your floors slippery.
• Clean up any spills that happen immediately.
• Use grab bars in the bathroom and railings on stairways.

Prevent falls outside your home

• Make sure lighting is adequate in all areas outside your home.
• Use a backpack or other type of bag that leaves your hands free.
• Keep areas outside in good repair and free of clutter.
• Wear sensible shoes with non-slip bottoms.

This is in no way a complete list of things that you can do to help prevent falls, but this is a starting point. Also remember to take your time. You might be less careful if you are in a hurry.

Also Check: Aleve Good For Back Pain