Whenever knee pain occurs, the first reaction of many patients is that they have “osteoporosis”, so they join the “calcium supplementation army” under the “call” of “TV commercials”. As a result, some patients with osteoarthritis have taken calcium tablets for half a year, but not only did their joint pain not improve, but also caused osteophytes due to wrong calcium supplementation. Generally speaking, although osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are both characterized by bone pain, the pain caused by osteoporosis is generally generalized skeletal pain, and is often persistent. In osteoarthritis, the pain tends to appear early in the weight-bearing joints, and mostly after exertion, and is not felt at rest. Osteoarthritis is caused by the wear and tear and degeneration of joint cartilage, and joint cartilage is not renewable, so even if you take more “calcium”, it will not work on joint cartilage and will not cure arthritis. Therefore, calcium supplementation cannot save the joints. Doctor’s tip: Some drugs or supplements claim to be able to provide nutrients for joint cartilage and promote cartilage regeneration, but in fact these drugs have a very limited effect, and are not effective at all for severe cartilage damage. As for drinking more bone soup or eating more pig’s feet will be good for bone and joint, there is no scientific basis for the claim.