Have you ever heard of using something called calcitonin for a spine fracture? Mother is in the hospital with two compression fractures in her spine. The hospitalist is using this to treat the problem but we’ve never heard of it before. What is it and how does it work?

It’s likely that your mother has age-related spinal fractures from osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a very common disorder affecting the skeleton. In a patient with osteoporosis, the bones begin losing their minerals and support beams, leaving the skeleton brittle and prone to fractures.

In the U.S., 10 million individuals are estimated to already have the disease and almost 34 million more have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. Of the 10 million Americans affected by osteoporosis, eight million are women and two million are men. Most of them over age 65

Maintaining bone mass gets more difficult as we get older. Age makes building bone mass more difficult. In women, the loss of estrogen at menopause can cause the bones to lose density very rapidly.

The bone cells responsible for building new bone are called osteoblasts. Stimulating the creation of osteoblasts helps your body build bone and improve bone density. The bone cells involved in degeneration of the bones are called osteoclasts. Interfering with the action of the osteoclasts can slow down bone loss.

That’s where calcitonin comes in. Calcitonin is a non-sex, non-steroid hormone. Calcitonin binds to osteoclasts (the bone cells that reabsorb bone). It decreases osteoclast numbers and activity levels. The end result is that it prevents bone from melting away. It doesn’t build up missing bone but it at least keeps the bone that’s there from being broken down and reabsorbed.

Calcitonin is available in a nasal spray and should be used for osteoporotic spinal fractures within five days of the injury. Calcitonin has been shown to relieve pain when tested in four different positions (e.g., in bed, sitting, standing, and walking).

Since your mother has had a recent (acute) spinal fracture, the use of calcitonin is advised. In fact, studies show that the use of calcitonin early after vertebral compression fractures can significantly reduce pain if used in the first five days of the fracture event.

Improving and even eliminating pain helps patients get back up on their feet, moving and active. The simple act of getting out of bed and moving can help prevent many, many other problems associated with spinal fractures.