There are a lot of searches going on for the keywords “magnesium and tendon pain”. if you look around the internet, quite a few health oriented websites have advice pertaining to the topic. And some recommend taking magnesium if you are experiencing tendon issues. But is the advice any good? Let’s take a look and see.
Is magnesium really necessary in the first place?
First, let’s hear what the Livestrong, one of the most popular sites on the Internet, has to say:
Magnesium, especially when used in combination with calcium, may be helpful in treating your tendonitis and tendon tissue damage…magnesium and calcium are required for connective tissue repair — tendons are a type of connective tissue — and proper muscular function. These nutrients have long been used as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of tendonitis and bursitis, although more clinical research evidence may be required to validate their use for these health purposes.
The article goes on to note (correctly) that:
Few research studies have evaluated the effects of magnesium in treating tendonitis. Most studies examining the effects of magnesium on tendon problems involve animals who are fed a magnesium-deficient diet before being treated with certain prescription drugs, such as quinolones — antibacterial agents that are known to cause Achilles tendonitis. A study published in the journal “Archives of Toxicology” in August 2001 concludes that those with a magnesium deficiency may be more susceptible to quinolone-induced tendon problems.
So right here, you might want to stop and think about what’s been said. First, there isn’t really any research in humans showing a link between magnesium and tendon pain…much less any that shows magnesium to be helpful in repairing tendons. Second, the animal studies that have been done were all done on subjects that had a clinical deficiency artificially imposed on them. Of course, if you are deficient in magnesium and you develop tendon issues, it might make sense to supplement with extra magnesium (and maybe calcium as well).
So a logical question to ask is whether or not you are really Mg-deficient. Taking a look at Wikipedia, you can find a nice list of symptoms that a magnesium deficiency might cause. They include hyperexcitability, muscular symptoms (cramps, tremors, spasms, weakness, etc.), fatigue, loss of appetite, apathy, confusion, sound and light sensitivity, anxiety, insomnia, irritability, poor memory, and reduced ability to learn. (This is just for a mild deficiency, mind you.) Interestingly, tendon issues are not listed. Nor are tendon issues listed on the official National Institute of Health website for magnesium.
Kind of makes you wonder.
It’s a nice trick that supplement companies and others try to pull on consumers. First, they note that substance X is necessary for proper function of structure Y in the body. Then they say that if structure Y isn’t working correctly, you should think about supplementing with substance X. The problem is, unless you’re actually, clinically deficient in X, taking more of it isn’t going to help Y. It’s like trying to put more gas in a car when the tank is already full. Unless you’re running on fumes, more gas isn’t going to help.
Most estimates put westerners with a magnesium deficiency at somewhere between 3 and 15% of the population. That means that even if we accept the higher number, 85% of the people in America do NOT have a Mg deficiency. So right there, the odds are in your favor.
But it is possible that you might be one of the unlucky ones. In which case, should you run out and start buying Mg supplements?
How is this supposed to work, anyway?
The theory behind recommending magnesium for tendon pain goes something like this:
You need two types of mineral to make a muscle work. Calcium makes it possible to contract the muscle, and magnesium enables the muscle to relax. If you lack magnesium, then you theoretically will not be able to “uncontract” your muscles, thus resulting in constant tension. Since tendons are what connect muscles to bones, this tension will transfer into the tendon, and after a certain point cause tendon pain to occur.
That’s the theory, anyway. But it doesn’t take much to understand that, if this really were the case, a systemic Mg deficiency would result in muscles all over your body – whichever ones you happened to be using at the time – locking up pretty quickly. Your legs would freeze in mid-stride, your fingers would cramp up if you were writing…shaking someone’s hand would result in the two of you being joined at the palm for quite a bit longer than is socially acceptable. Not to mention that you’d get muscle cramps so severe that any incidental tendon pain would seem pretty minor by comparison. Can you imagine yourself with a full-body charlie-horse?
Obviously, this is not what happens. But it does suggest a second question: Can you relax your muscles? Yes or no?
If a lack of Mg is preventing muscles from relaxing, and therefore causing excess stress on the tendons, it stands to reason that if you can relax your muscles, tendon issues will not develop. Makes sense, right? It’s an easy, common sense test.
So many different types of magnesium
Finally, there are self-styled “experts” out there who recommend “magnesium” supplements for tendon pain…but never get around to telling you what type of magnesium you should be taking.
This is a problem because there are many different types of magnesium supplements, and most of them have specific effects on specific tissues. I’ll list a few of the most common ones here for reference:
Magnesium Oxide – This is the one used in most Mg supplements, simply because it’s plentiful in the Earth’s crust (in fact, it’s the eighth most common element) and easy to find. Unfortunately, it has very low bioavailability…like less than five percent. Magnesium hydroxide – basically the same thing once magnesium oxide gets into the body – is also the main ingredient in Milk of Magnesia (now you know where the name comes from) and is a laxative. It does not specifically target tendon or muscle tissues.
Magnesium Citrate – Combined with citric acid. Mg citrate is only about 13% magnesium, so probably not the best bang for your buck if you want it for tendon pain…or anything else.
Then there are a bunch of Mg/amino acid chelates:
- Magnesium Glycinate – Mg combined with glycine. Optimum bioavailability, probably the best supplement option if you’re looking to raise overall magnesium levels.
- Magnesium Orotate – Mg plus orotic acid. Supposed heart health support, but the jury’s still out. Costs a lot more than other Mg supps. Also supposedly better bioavailability, but the research does not support this claim.
- Magnesium Taurate – Mg combined with taurine, which is a nootropic. Formulated specifically for brain health, not tendons.
- Magnesium L-Threonate – Promotes mental sharpness and cognitive health. Developed and patented by MIT, this one will likely cost you more than other Mg supplements, and was also specifically formulated for brain function.
- Magnesium Malate – Mg combined with malic acid, which comes mainly from fruit. Supports ATP production and cellular energy. No particular effect on tendons or muscles.
Conclusion:
So let’s recap. First, it is true that a sufficient level of magnesium is necessary for muscles to work properly. And it is true that there are some people, mostly through a lack of proper diet, who are deficient in Mg.
However, at least 85% of the population is not deficient, and, of those who are, most are subclinical (ie, they don’t show any outward signs of a problem). Of the ones who do, muscle and/or tendon issues simply don’t happen frequently enough to for any reputable website to list them. So the odds that you are suffering from a clinical Mg deficiency that’s causing tendon pain are very, very slim.
Second, There is no research on humans showing a relationship between a lack of magnesium and tendon pain. While there is some research on animals, in almost all of it the animals were given a clinically induced Mg deficiency. Needless to say, an animal with an unnatural mineral deficiency has limited application or carry-over to a human without one.
Third, there are no magnesium supplement types that specifically target muscle (or tendon) tissue. In fact, most magnesium supplements preferentially and specifically target other areas of the body.
So the answer is no, supplementing with magnesium will very probably not help your tendon pain in the slightest. Supplementation might help with some other condition, but if you have tendon pain, don’t waste your money.
However, if I still haven’t convinced you and you think that a lack of magnesium is causing your tendon pain, the best idea is to try and get some more Mg in your diet. Nuts and vegetables are good for this, as are bananas and avocados. Alcohol is not. A few days of less drinking and more eating the right types of foods will go a lot further to correct any tendon pain-related Mg imbalance in your body than taking a pill.
Want to avoid wasting money on other bogus tendonitis cures? Get the scoop on capsaicin in this post and some good information on what menthol can and can’t do for you.
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