WEATHER AND ARTHRITIS PAIN - Does weather affect arthritis pain? - Medical myths die hard. Maybe that’s because there’s no agreement on whether a common belief is indeed a myth. For example, there’s the longstanding belief that weather affects arthritis pain. Many of my patients notice a clear connection; some are so convinced of the link, they believe they can predict the weather better than the TV meteorologists. And maybe that’s true. But that’s not what the science says. A recent study finds no connection between rainy weather and symptoms of back or joint pain. This conclusion was based on a staggering amount of data: more than 11 million medical visits occurring on more than two million rainy days and nine million dry days. Not only was there no clear pattern linking rainy days and more aches and pains, but there were slightly more visits on dry days. Still not convinced? That’s understandable. Maybe it’s not rain or shine that matters — maybe it’s barometric pressure, changes in weather, or humidity that matters most. Or maybe the study missed some key information, such as when symptoms began or got worse — after all, it can take days or even weeks after symptoms begin to see a doctor. What does past research say about weather and arthritis pain? The question of whether there’s a link between weather and aches and pains has been studied extensively. While a definitive answer is nearly impossible to provide — because it’s hard to “prove a negative” (prove that something doesn’t exist) — researchers have been unable to make a strong case for a strong connection. For example, a 2014 study in Australia found no link between back pain and rain, temperature, humidity, or air pressure.

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Weather and Arthritis Pain

Does weather affect arthritis pain?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD

Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing

 

Medical myths die hard. Maybe that’s because there’s no agreement on whether a common belief is indeed a myth.

For example, there’s the longstanding belief that weather affects arthritis pain.

Many of my patients notice a clear connection; some are so convinced of the link, they believe they can predict the weather better than the TV meteorologists. And maybe that’s true.

But that’s not what the science says.

A recent study finds no connection between rainy weather and symptoms of back or joint pain. This conclusion was based on a staggering amount of data: more than 11 million medical visits occurring on more than two million rainy days and nine million dry days.

Not only was there no clear pattern linking rainy days and more aches and pains, but there were slightly more visits on dry days.

Still not convinced? That’s understandable.

Maybe it’s not rain or shine that matters — maybe it’s barometric pressure, changes in weather, or humidity that matters most.

Or maybe the study missed some key information, such as when symptoms began or got worse — after all, it can take days or even weeks after symptoms begin to see a doctor.

What does past research say about weather and arthritis pain?

The question of whether there’s a link between weather and aches and pains has been studied extensively.

While a definitive answer is nearly impossible to provide — because it’s hard to “prove a negative” (prove that something doesn’t exist) — researchers have been unable to make a strong case for a strong connection.

For example, a 2014 study in Australia found no link between back pain and rain, temperature, humidity, or air pressure.

This study collected data regarding features of the weather at the time of first symptoms, and compared it to the weather a week and a month before.

But, an earlier study found that among 200 patients followed for three months, knee pain increased modestly when temperature fell or barometric pressure rose.

Does research matter when you have personal experience?

That’s a fair question. And it’s something I’ve even heard in TV commercials about headache medicines: “I don’t care about the research. I just know what works for me.”

But it’s worth remembering that humans have a remarkable tendency to remember when two things occur or change together (such as wet, gloomy weather and joint pain), but remember less when things do not occur together.

That rainy day when you felt no better or worse is unlikely to be so notable that you remember it.

If you rely solely on memory rather than on more rigorous, data-based evidence, it’s easy to conclude a link exists where, in fact, none does.

In conclusion…

It’s true: medical myths die hard.

In fact, some seem immortal. One could argue that’s as it should be.

After all, yesterday’s medical myth is only one discovery away from becoming tomorrow’s medical fact.

Still, when the evidence is compelling, I think we’d be better off letting go of what’s been disproven, give more credence to evidence than folklore, and keep an open mind — just in case the evidence changes.

When my patients tell me they can predict the weather by how their joints feel, I believe them.

It’s hard to discount it when so many people notice a connection. They could represent an exception to what the studies show.

But I also believe the science. Until I see evidence that’s even more compelling, I remain a skeptic about the weather/arthritis connection.

Robert H. Shmerling, MD

Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing

Robert H. Shmerling, MD, is the former clinical chief of the division of rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He served for more than two decades as the Robinson Firm Chief in the teaching program of the BIDMC internal medicine residency. As a practicing rheumatologist for over 30 years, Dr. Shmerling engaged in a mix of patient care, teaching, and research. His practice included challenging patients, both in the clinic and the inpatient consultation service. His research interests center on diagnostic studies in patients with musculoskeletal symptoms, rheumatic, and autoimmune diseases. He has published research regarding infectious arthritis and how well diagnostic tests perform in patients with suspected rheumatic disease. Having retired from patient care in 2019, Dr. Shmerling now works as a Senior Faculty Editor for Harvard Health Publishing.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/does-weather-affect-arthritis-pain-2019011715789

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Injuries Hurt More In Cold Weather

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https://puricare.blogspot.com/2019/06/injuries-hurt-more-in-cold-weather-in.html

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Old Injuries And Joint Aches 

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https://puricare.blogspot.com/2017/05/old-injuries-and-joint-aches-why-do-old.html

INJURIES HURT MORE IN COLD WEATHER - In colder weather, the body tries to conserve heat by sending more blood to the organs in the center of our body, like the heart and lungs. As a result, the blood vessels in the other parts, like our arms, legs, knee joints and shoulders, will constrict, causing those areas to stiffen due to less blood flow. We also tend to be relatively inactive in winter, which adds to the stiffness, making it difficult for us to make rapid, precise movements, such as those required for texting. The stiffness can also cause discomfort and pain, especially in older people or those who have suffered some injury or who regularly experience joint pain.

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Why Do Injuries Hurt More In Cold Weather?

Sushmitha Hegde

Getting out of bed on winter mornings can be incredibly difficult, thanks to the laziness and gloominess that seems to hang in the air!

The cold, damp and dark days of winter make us feel particularly lethargic and aware of all the sadness in our lives.

But on top of that, have you noticed that it’s not just your mind that feels more pain during the winter?

Even your body seems to hurt more when it’s cold!

An increase in the magnitude of joint pains, the worsening of old injuries, increased sensitivity of the skin to new injuries… winter can be blamed for a lot of things!

The Nervous System

The nerves send information to our brain when they receive a stimulus that reaches a certain threshold.

However, if the stimulus does not change, the nervous system accommodates or fine-tunes the threshold so that our brain can focus on new stimuli.

That’s why you feel your clothes when you put them on, but eventually stop noticing them as you carry on with your day.

Even though the input has not changed (the fabric, fit, etc. are the same), you stop noticing the sensation.

You only feel it in the presence of another stimulus, say, when the wind makes your clothes flap back and forth against your skin.

Thus, the cumulative input of clothes and wind exceeds the threshold, so you are once again more aware of what your clothes feel like.

The nervous system also displays an ‘all-or-none’ behavior. There is no transmission until the input reaches the threshold potential.

However, once the threshold is reached, there is a full transmission of the input.

Cold, pain and the nervous system

So how is this related to feeling more pain on cold days?

Pain inputs also need to cross a certain threshold before being sent to our brain by the nerves.

Sometimes, when the pain input is not enough to exceed the threshold, or when it has been accommodated or fine-tuned by the nerves, all it needs is a small amount of additional input to cross that threshold.

This additional input is provided by the cold, so our brain suddenly interprets this combined sensation as pain.

The sub-threshold stimulus may be present in the form of an old injury, an arthritic joint, fibromyalgia or any other condition that becomes aggravated in the presence of another stimulus, like cold conditions.

What are the other reasons?

Have you had difficulty texting on cold days? This happens because in colder weather, the body tries to conserve heat by sending more blood to the organs in the center of our body, like the heart and lungs.

As a result, the blood vessels in the other parts, like our arms, legs, knee joints and shoulders, will constrict, causing those areas to stiffen due to less blood flow. 

We also tend to be relatively inactive in winter, which adds to the stiffness, making it difficult for us to make rapid, precise movements, such as those required for texting.

The stiffness can also cause discomfort and pain, especially in older people or those who have suffered some injury or who regularly experience joint pain.

Our skin gets rigid and sensitive due to the reduced blood flow. This makes for a more painful experience when our arms or fingers get hit when they are cold, as compared to when they’re warm, soft and flexible. 

The harsh winds of winter also cause our skin to lose its natural barrier, making it dry and prone to getting scratched more easily than when it is supple and moisturized.

Cold temperatures also cause the barometric pressure to drop.

Many people suffering from arthritis believe that cold weather and low barometric pressure aggravate their symptoms, which include stiffness, pain and swelling of the joints.

Some patients even claim to be able to predict the onset of cold weather and rain through their joint pain.

Although there is not a lot of evidence to back up this belief, certain studies have shown that weather does have an effect on the flexibility of joints.

When the barometric pressure is low, the inflamed tissues swell more, which can stimulate the nerves in those tissues, causing additional pain.

Cold weather, on the other hand, shrinks tissues down, which pulls on the nerves and causes even more discomfort.

How to tackle this?

Keeping our head, hands and feet warm is very important in winter, since the majority of heat from the body is lost from these areas.

Dressing warmly and exercising (despite the temptation of laziness) are two key things that can help you combat the wicked winter.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator, stretch while watching your favorite TV show and constantly keep yourself moving.

In short, exercise, stretch and keep yourself warm!

About the Author:
Sushmitha Hegde is a Commerce graduate from University of Pune. She can say “hello” in 61 different languages, but she is learning Spanish so she can say more. She loves to talk about topics ranging from taxation and finance to history and literature. She is just a regular earthling who laughs at her own jokes, cries while watching movies and is proud of her collection of books!

https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-do-injuries-hurt-more-in-cold-weather.html