By Although it’s difficult for anyone to have chronic pain, it’s often even worse when it’s children who suffer from it. They have a difficult time understanding why they are experiencing the condition, or in knowing what to do to find some relief. Chronic pain can also keep children from experiencing what other kids get a chance to do, because they are in pain and not feeling up to a lot of fun activities.
While there can be numerous reasons for the chronic pain, those children who have chronic tension type headaches may want to consider using vitamin D therapy. In the February 2016 issue of BMJ Case Reports, reporters shared details of their studying how vitamin D deficiency can lead to tension type headaches, as well as generalized body pain. They studied children who had the pain and had no response to conventional therapies for tension headaches (1).
What the researchers found was that the children had a severe vitamin D deficiency, as well as biochemical osteomalacia (low bone density). They gave them vitamin D therapy, and they report that the headaches and musculoskeletal pain responded markedly to the treatment. They concluded by suggesting that children who are experiencing musculoskeletal pain and headache together may have a single symptom complex, with a vitamin D deficiency being the cause of the pain.
This research confirms what was reported in a March 2011 issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, where researchers reported that it was reasonable to use vitamin D supplementation daily for those with chronic pain. They report that the supplementation may not be a cure for the pain, but that the treatment is cheap, relatively safe, and that there is emerging evidence that vitamin D supplementation has positive effects on public health (2).
If your child is experiencing generalized chronic pain or tension type headaches, it’s a good idea to find out if they are deficient in vitamin D. If they are, vitamin D therapy may help provide some relief from the chronic pain. Considering the low risks associated with this type of treatment, it’s worth considering and looking into. It’s a small measure that may bring about big relief.
Source:
1. BMJ Case Reports. Vitamin D deficiency mimicking chronic tension-type headache in children. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26838301>
2. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. Vitamin D supplementation for patients with chronic pain. < http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3347929/>
