Multiple Myeloma: How it’s Damaging Your Bones and What You Can Do

Multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, significantly impacts your bone health. If you are living with this condition, you may experience bone pain as a prevalent and debilitating symptom. This pain results from cancerous plasma cells accumulating in your bone marrow, leading to various bone-related complications. According to research, 80 percent of people who are newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma develop holes, weak spots, and other types of damage in bones. In this article, we’ll explore how multiple myeloma affects your bones, the mechanisms behind bone damage, and practical strategies for maintaining bone health. How Multiple Myeloma Damages Your Bones Disruption of Bone Remodeling Your bones are dynamic structures that constantly remodel themselves. This remodeling involves a balance between the breakdown of old bone tissue by cells called osteoclasts and the formation of new bone tissue by cells called osteoblasts. However, multiple myeloma disrupts this balance. Dr. Elan Gorshein, a hematologist at Yale School of Medicine, tells Everyday Health that multiple myeloma causes osteoclasts to continuously break down your bone without the usual checks and balances. Simultaneously, it inhibits osteoblasts from repairing and forming new bone. This imbalance leads to weakened bones, resulting in holes, weak spots, and other...