Why Do My Joints Ache When It's Damp or Cold?

“I think it’s the weather.”

While that may sound like an excuse for one’s joints to ache, it’s actually a real and true reason for arthritis to worsen.

It is common for people with chronic joint pain to feel more pain and stiffness when the weather turns damp or cold.  Growing up, I can remember my mom saying such things and dismissing them quickly.  As a nurse, my mom also was 100% certain that full moons made her floor of the hospital crazier.  I’ve heard over and over again from other nurses that this is true as well.  But for now, let’s focus on joint pain and arthritis.

While it might be tempting to be skeptical when an elderly relative says his or her joints are predicting that it will rain tomorrow, it turns out they’re probably right.  Essentially, our joints sometimes act as human barometers.

Researchers believe it’s not actually the cold, snow, or rain that causes an increase in joint pain, but rather a change in barometric pressure.  Robert Jamison, PhD, of the Harvard Medical School and several colleagues performed experiments with chronic pain sufferers to investigate this phenomenon.  The resulting study reported that “67.9 percent of the people surveyed responded that they were sure changes in the weather had an effect on their pain.  Most of the patients reported that they can feel a change in their pain before rain or cold weather occur.”

Jamison likens the joints to a balloon.  “When a balloon is inflated, it has the maximum inside and outside pressure.  In your body, high barometric pressure that pushes against the body from the outside keeps tissues from expanding.”  But when the weather changes, the barometer drops, reducing atmospheric pressure and allowing tissues to swell.  This can put increased pressure on the nerves that send pain signals.  “It doesn't take much expansion or contraction of tissue to affect a pain trigger,” Jamison adds.

Moving to a warmer climate unfortunately will not help the problem in most cases.  Jamison says, “There’s no heaven on earth.  If you have awful back or neck pain ... there's a good chance that that pain will travel with you.”  According to Jamison’s research, there is no area of the country where people experience less pain.  The patients with chronic pain who lived in San Diego reported just as much pain as their counterparts in Boston.  Jamison says, “I think as mammals, we kind of adjust to our climate.”

So what can be done to manage joint pain that comes and goes with the weather?  I’ll suggest a few possible strategies you can take:

·         Support your joints – Use joint supports (such as elastic knee bandages or support gloves for your hands) to keep tissues from expanding with the change in weather.

·         Keep warm – Dressing warmly and applying a heating pad or hot water bottle to painful areas will help to relax your muscles, easing pain.

·         Keep moving – Much as you may long to stay curled up under the duvet in bad weather, moving around will help keep your joints from stiffening.  Try doing some gentle yoga and stretching exercises. 

Movement is the key to your body’s joints and muscles.  Keep them moving and you’ll keep them happy.  And, if something in your body feels like it’s stuck, consider chiropractic care.  Adjusting and mobilizing joints is a phenomenal way to reduce pain levels. 

Oh, and don’t worry.  As the saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather in Wisconsin, wait 10 minutes.”  Soon enough we’ll be talking about the humidity and the mosquitoes!