Here are 10 things to know about vitamin D supplementation and joint replacements:
1. Physicians do not typically recommend patients begin vitamin D before joint replacement procedures, and evidence on its benefits is still murky.
2. New York City-based NYU Grossman School of Medicine orthopedic surgeon Claudette Lajam, MD, conducted several randomized trials over the last five years that found conflicting results on vitamin D use. Dr. Lajam warns that vitamin Ds can lead to poorer post-surgical outcomes.
3. One study found taking vitamin D on the day of knee replacement procedures did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in function or complications.
4. A second study determined that the total number of complications post-surgery were greater among patients who did not receive vitamin D supplementation.
5. In 2024, the Endocrine Society recommended healthy adults younger than 75 years to not take vitamin D supplements at high doses.
6. The United States Preventive Services Task Force is actively updating its 2018 vitamin D supplement recommendations.
7. Major provider New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery does not check patients’ vitamin D levels before joint replacements.
8. Vitamin D has several positive impacts on bones and joints, including helping the body absorb calcium to strengthen bones.
9. A 2020 review of current scientific literature by Nicolas Piuzzi, MD, associate professor of orthopedic surgery and co-director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center at Cleveland Clinic, found that some studies determined that complication rates are higher in vitamin-deficient patients. While Dr. Piuzzi’s review concluded that the literature establishing a connection between adverse outcomes and vitamin deficiencies was insufficient, he nevertheless suggests that those levels should be considered before surgery.
10. An additional study determined that 20% of older U.S. adults are vitamin D deficient.
