Does the weather really influence joint pain?

Can weather really influence joint pain? According to some people, they simply “feel it in their bones” when the weather is about to change, but is this really a legitimate sixth sense, or is it just a wives’ tale passed down through the generations?

Well, according to experts from around the country, weather really can influence joints, and it isn’t just one factor that can be to blame.

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“It’s one of the most common questions that patients will ask,” James Fant, MD, said in a University Specialty Clinics statement. “At first I doubted because there was not a lot of scientific evidence to support the correlation between arthritic symptoms and the weather. But I’ve been practicing for nearly 20 years and I’ve heard it so often from so many patients that I know there’s something to it.”

It’s true that the science behind joint pain and the weather is vague, but scientific knowledge of how pressure systems work and what can aggravate joint pain all point in the same direction: pressure changes, temperature changes and changes in exercise level can all be factors that explain why people feel weather in their bones.

Pressure and pain

The primary reason experts say weather can influence pain in the joints is through pressure changes. Barometric pressure is the phrase used to describe the weight of the atmosphere around us, and that pressure changes with the weather. It stands to reason then, that if the pressure around an individual can change, the resistance and strain on already-sore joints could be more or less noticeable.

“The thing that affects people most is barometric pressure,” David Borenstein, MD, FACP, FACR, told WebMD.

Because barometric pressure often drops before bad weather sets in, the lower air pressure pushes less against the body, allowing tissues to expand — and those expanded tissues can put pressure on an individual’s joints.

“Suppose you have an inflamed joint that is subject to swelling,” said Fant. “If the barometric pressure is decreased, then that would allow the inflamed tissue to swell more, simply because there is less atmospheric pressure holding the tissue back. If there are nerves in that tissue, then those nerves would be stimulated by that swelling and that would translate into pain.”

Other factors

And while barometric pressure is the primary reason people feel bad weather coming, it isn’t the only factor. Temperature has can also play a role. On extremely cold days, for example, not only is the pressure low, but the cold can cause muscles to stiffen up, making pain more obvious.

Similarly, this can lead to a decrease in the amount of exercise an individual is getting, and when it comes to joint pain, the more people move the better they actually feel. Using joints is an important part of keeping them properly lubricated and healthy, but if they hurt, people are less likely to move around on them.

“A lot of the rheumatic conditions I treat become worse with a sedentary lifestyle—a condition that is more prevalent in the winter months,” said Fant. “During winter, many people lead a less active lifestyle and their joints tend to stiffen up. This is commonly referred to as gelling, where your joints become ‘gelled’ because you are sitting in one position too long and it causes pain and stiffness.”

Not all aches and pains can be linked to weather

While it makes sense that weather can influence joint pain, experts say people should practice caution when attributing and dismissing pain as a part of every day changes. A recent study, for example, just found that certain types of back pain cannot be blamed on weather, and doing so may cause an individual to miss out on important medical care.

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“Many patients believe that weather impacts their pain symptoms,” explained Dr. Daniel Steffens, study author, in a statement. “However, there are few robust studies investigating weather and pain, specifically research that does not rely on patient recall of the weather. Our findings refute previously held beliefs that certain common weather conditions increase risk of lower back pain,” he concluded. “Further investigation of the influence of weather parameters on symptoms associated with specific diseases such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis are needed.”