How do you treat calcium build up? A guide to medical and lifestyle solutions

September 28, 2025 •

4 min read

Did you know that vascular calcification is a significant health concern, with coronary artery calcification impacting up to 90% of men over 70? Understanding how you treat calcium build up is crucial, as the appropriate approach varies significantly depending on the location and severity of the deposits.

Quick Summary

Treating calcium build-up requires a targeted approach based on location and cause, ranging from lifestyle modifications and medications to minimally invasive procedures and surgery for severe cases.

Key Points

Identify the Location: Treatment for calcium build-up varies significantly depending on whether it is in the arteries, joints, skin, or kidneys.
Prioritize Lifestyle Changes: A healthy diet low in sodium and animal protein, adequate hydration, and regular exercise are foundational to managing and preventing many forms of calcification.
Address Underlying Causes: Conditions like hyperparathyroidism, autoimmune disorders, and chronic kidney disease must be treated to effectively manage calcium deposits.
Use Minimally Invasive Options: For joint calcification, procedures like extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) or ultrasound-guided lavage can often break up deposits without major surgery.
Consider Medications: Pharmacological treatments like statins for arterial calcification or diltiazem for skin calcification can be effective under medical supervision.
Consult a Professional: Always seek medical advice to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan, as self-treating can be dangerous and ineffective.

Understanding the Nature of Calcium Build-Up

Calcium build-up, or calcification, is the hardening of tissues or organs due to a collection of calcium deposits. While calcium is essential for bones, its accumulation in soft tissues and arteries can lead to health problems. The treatment plan depends heavily on the affected area, the underlying cause, and the severity of the condition.

Treating Arterial Calcification

Arterial calcification is the hardening of the arteries due to calcium and plaque deposits, which increases the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes. Management is a multi-pronged strategy aimed at controlling risk factors and, in severe cases, performing interventions.

Lifestyle Changes for Heart Health

Adopt a Heart-Healthy Diet: Focus on eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while limiting saturated fats, trans fats, sodium, and cholesterol. The Mediterranean or DASH diet patterns are often recommended.
Regular Exercise: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week to improve circulation and heart function.
Quit Smoking: Tobacco use is a major accelerator of coronary calcification and should be stopped immediately.
Manage Underlying Conditions: Keep blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels in check with the help of your doctor.

Medical and Procedural Treatments

Medications: Doctors may prescribe statins to lower LDL cholesterol, ACE inhibitors or beta blockers for blood pressure, and antiplatelet drugs like aspirin to prevent clots.
Minimally Invasive Procedures: For significant blockages, interventions can restore blood flow.
- Intravascular Lithotripsy: Uses shockwaves to break up calcium deposits, allowing for easier stent placement.
- Atherectomy: This involves using a rotating burr or laser to shave away plaque and calcium from the arterial walls.
Surgery: In severe cases, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may be necessary to route blood flow around blocked arteries.

Treating Calcific Tendonitis in Joints

Calcium deposits can form in tendons, most commonly in the rotator cuff of the shoulder, causing pain and restricted movement.

Non-Surgical Options

Conservative Care: Rest, physical therapy, and over-the-counter pain relievers can help manage symptoms.
Steroid Injections: Corticosteroid injections can provide targeted relief from inflammation and pain.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT): This procedure delivers mechanical shocks to the affected area to help break down the calcium deposits.
Ultrasound-Guided Lavage (Barbotage): A needle guided by ultrasound is used to puncture the deposit, and a saline solution is injected to wash out the calcium. This is often less invasive than surgery.

Surgical Removal

If conservative treatments fail, arthroscopic or open surgery can be used to manually remove the deposit.

Addressing Calcinosis Cutis (Skin Calcification)

This condition, often associated with autoimmune diseases, causes hard, white, or yellowish bumps under the skin. Treatment focuses on managing the underlying cause and symptom relief.

Medical Management

Medications: Options include calcium channel blockers (like diltiazem), bisphosphonates, or topical/intralesional sodium thiosulfate to increase calcium solubility.
IVIG: Intravenous immunoglobulins may be used for calcinosis related to autoimmune diseases.

Procedural and Surgical Options

Surgery: Excision of large, painful, or ulcerated lesions may be necessary. Recurrence is possible if the underlying condition is not controlled.
Laser Therapy: Can be used to treat smaller, more superficial deposits.

Managing Kidney Calcification (Nephrocalcinosis)

Treatment for nephrocalcinosis, a condition where calcium collects in the kidney tissue, primarily targets the root cause and aims to reduce symptoms.

Hydration and Diet

Drink More Fluids: Increased fluid intake is a single most effective measure, with a goal of producing at least 2 liters of urine daily.
Dietary Adjustments: Reducing high animal protein and sodium intake is often recommended. Counterintuitively, ensuring adequate dietary calcium can prevent some types of kidney stones.

Medications

Diuretics: Thiazide diuretics may be used in hypercalciuric patients to reduce urinary calcium excretion.
Potassium Citrate: Used in certain cases to increase urinary citrate, which can increase the solubility of calcium.

Comparison of Treatment Approaches by Location


Location of Calcification	Primary Treatment Approach	Specific Examples	Surgical Intervention	Invasive Level
Arteries	Lifestyle changes, risk factor control	Diet, exercise, statins, blood pressure meds	Angioplasty, atherectomy, CABG	Low to high
Joints	Conservative care, non-invasive procedures	Rest, physical therapy, ESWT, lavage	Arthroscopic surgery	Low to medium
Skin	Medical management of underlying cause	Diltiazem, sodium thiosulfate, IVIG	Excision, laser therapy	Low to medium
Kidneys	Fluid intake, dietary adjustments	High hydration, low sodium diet, diuretics	Lithotripsy, nephrolithotomy	Low to high

Conclusion: A Personalized Treatment Strategy

Calcium build-up is not a one-size-fits-all problem, and a proper diagnosis is the first step toward finding an effective treatment. While general healthy habits like proper hydration and diet are universally beneficial, specific medical interventions are necessary depending on where the calcification is located and its cause. Always consult with a healthcare professional to determine the most appropriate and safe course of action. Following a personalized treatment plan is the best way to manage symptoms and prevent future complications, empowering you to take control of your health. An informative overview of calcification causes and risks is available at the Cleveland Clinic website, a valuable resource for understanding the bigger picture of this condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Symptoms of calcium build-up vary widely by location. In joints, it can cause pain and stiffness. In arteries, it may lead to cardiovascular symptoms. Kidney calcification can cause pain from stones. Diagnosis often requires imaging tests like X-rays, CT scans, or ultrasounds.

While lifestyle changes can slow the progression of calcification and help manage underlying conditions, there is no proven natural method to dissolve existing calcium deposits. Some supplements like Vitamin K2 and magnesium are thought to help, but should be discussed with a doctor.

Yes, drinking adequate water is a cornerstone of treatment, particularly for kidney calcification and mild hypercalcemia. It helps flush the kidneys and prevent new deposits from forming.

Yes, adopting a heart-healthy diet low in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol can help manage risk factors that contribute to arterial calcification. This, combined with regular exercise, is a crucial part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Lithotripsy uses focused shockwaves to break up harder deposits like kidney stones, while lavage uses a needle to irrigate and wash out softer deposits, often in tendons or joints, under ultrasound guidance.

This depends on the specific condition and should only be done under a doctor's guidance. For some kidney stone patients, adequate dietary calcium is important, but for hypercalcemia, supplements might need to be stopped. Always follow your healthcare provider's recommendations.

The prognosis depends on the cause and location. Mild cases may resolve with conservative management, while severe conditions, like extensive arterial calcification, can be serious and require significant medical intervention and ongoing management to prevent complications.