Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board
Introduction
For us in the northern hemisphere, winter is coming. With the entering of this season comes the cold and rainy weather.
Lots of health issues are related to the winter season: colds, flu, dry skin, seasonal depression, and so on… But you may have also heard some people saying they can sense when the weather will change because they can feel it in their bones – a situation that normally occurs with people who have old injuries or after some orthopedic surgery.
Evidence today
First, we need to address the fact that this situation affects the joints, and not the bones themselves.
Although this is an age-old tale and 62 to 97% of people with musculoskeletal conditions believe that the weather influences their pain, the link between weather and pain has been difficult to describe.
Possible explanations
Some studies suggest evidence that there can be an association between pain and weather variables. Barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity are the weather conditions that are found to be correlated most to the worsening of osteoarticular pain.
Changes in the barometric pressure
To the best of the current knowledge, the most plausible explanation for this event is related to the barometric pressure, also called atmospheric pressure, or simply, air pressure.
Air pressure tends to decrease as the weather turns cold and humid. This means that the force of the air surrounding our body decreases and our muscles, tendons, and other tissues around joints are allowed to expand. This expansion will place pressure on joints, possibly creating discomfort or pain.
Changes in the viscosity of the joint fluid
Between our joints, there’s a viscous fluid called the synovial fluid, whose function is to reduce friction between the joints so they can move smoothly. It is believed that as temperatures get colder, there’s a thickening of the synovial fluid, therefore making joints less lubricated, stiffer, and perhaps more sensitive to the pain of mechanical stresses.
Increased nerve sensitivity
Other studies suggest that low temperatures can be perceived by receptors in our tissues. They act as sensors for cold, but also for pain (nociceptors). So, when those are triggered by cold exposure, they can also possibly enhance the feeling of pain.
Changes in daily routines
If we think about it the weather conditions can alter our daily routines: there might be changes in exposure to vitamin D, physical activity, water intake, sleep, and mood, and all these can be associated with chronic pain.
Conclusions
To this day, it is not 100% clear, whether and how the weather is related to osteoarticular pain. One thing we can say is that many patients believe in this theory and experience it, and for this reason, weather conditions should be considered in daily clinical practice as a way of helping patients to manage their pain.
References
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Brain, S. D. (2016, January 11). Environmental cold exposure increases blood flow and affects pain sensitivity in the knee joints of CFA-induced arthritic mice in a TRPA1-dependent manner. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-015-0905-x
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Wang, L., Xu, Q., Chen, Y., Zhu, Z., & Cao, Y. (2023, April 20). Associations between weather conditions and osteoarthritis pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Medicine, 55(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2023.2196439
Beukenhorst, A. L., Schultz, D. M., McBeth, J., Sergeant, J. C., & Dixon, W. G. (2019, December 20). Are weather conditions associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain? Review of results and methodologies. Pain, 161(4), 668–683. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001776
Will. (2023, November 11). Why Do My Joints Ache When It Gets Cold? Twin Cities Pain Clinic. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from https://twincitiespainclinic.com/why-do-my-joints-ache-when-it-gets-cold/