Why do my joints anche when the seasons change?

It is amazing that I always feel great in the spring and summer.  When the weather starts to change in the fall, I also sense changes in my body coming on.  Little aches and pains that I did not have or notice before.  They are here one day and then gone the next.  I used to make fun of snow birds who ran to warmer climates in the winter.  Now I want to join the pack!! I was always suspicious that the shift to colder temperatures was the catalyst that brought on the pain.  Then I decided to do some research.  Apparently, it is something else and it makes perfect sense.  Read on…………..

How Might Weather Cause Pain?

It's typical for joint pain to start even before the first raindrops fall, says David Borenstein, MD, FACP, FACR, a rheumatologist and clinical professor of medicine at George Washington University Medical Center and past president of the American College of Rheumatology.

"If you really listened carefully to Grandma or someone who had arthritis, they actually told you it was going to rain," he says, "and, more likely than not, they were usually correct."

How to explain this?

One leading theory points to changes in air pressure. Although many people say that their pain worsens with damp, rainy weather, research has shown that it's not the cold, wind, rain, or snow, Borenstein says. "The thing that affects people most is barometric pressure." Barometric pressure is the weight of the atmosphere that surrounds us.  If you imagine the tissues surrounding the joints to be like a balloon, high barometric pressure that pushes against the body from the outside will keep tissues from expanding.

But barometric pressure often drops before bad weather sets in. This lower air pressure pushes less against the body, allowing tissues to expand -- and those expanded tissues can put pressure on the joint. It's very microscopic and we can hardly notice, except that we have these sensations.  Furthermore, when people have chronic pain, sometimes nerves can become more sensitized because of injury, inflammation, scarring, or adhesions.

Should You Move to Florida or Arizona?

It's a question that doctors hear all the time from arthritis patients.

"People with chronic pain think, 'I'd like to go someplace where the weather isn't quite so dramatic.'" Though he doesn't advise against moving to warmer climates, he does try to offer realistic expectations. "There's no heaven on earth," he says. "If you have awful back or neck pain ... there's a good chance that that pain will travel with you."

In fact, research shows that, people from San Diego reported the greatest sensitivity to weather changes -- a surprise finding, considering that it has a warm climate.  San Diegans, in his study, noticed pain even with small changes in weather. You think of San Diego and the temperature is always mild -- it never gets too cold or particularly too hot -- but with just a small change, people with pain still reported that they could detect it.

Borenstein notes, too, that when people with arthritis vacation in a warm climate, they often stay in a hotel and eat out, relieving them of daily duties that cause pain. And that relief can be deceptive, he says, because if they actually move to a warmer climate and resume daily activities, the pain often returns.

Comfort Measures

Relief is possible. During weather changes, some people with arthritis can take the following steps………………..

Stay warm  Dressing in layers, keeping your home heated, and warming up the car before you get in can help ease pain related to cold weather.  Also try sleeping under an electric blanket or warming clothes in the dryer before wearing.  Apply a heating pad to your painful joints. Heat lets muscles relax, so it's a soothing way of helping with pain.

Try to prevent swelling  Warmth helps with joint pain, but not necessarily swelling. For example, if bad weather worsens arthritis in the hands, try wearing Spandex gloves at night to try to keep fluid out of the joints.

Keep moving  Before you go outside during cold weather, try to exercise your painful joints to loosen up stiffness.

Improve your mood  People in chronic pain often feel anxious, depressed, and irritable. But in many cases, when pain strikes, the brain is able to override a lot of sensations.  Learning how to improve your mood is important.  Break things down into bite-size pieces. Learn how to pace yourself, and figure out how to improve your sleep. We know that distraction is really important, so have something to keep your mind occupied, and keep active.

Realize that the pain is temporary  When weather-related pain strikes, it isn't a permanent change. It's short-lived.

In fact, if people start to adjust to the barometric changes, their bodies will acclimate to the change. Fluid will move from the joint into the circulation and the patient will feel less stiff and less achy.

That knowledge -- knowing what's happening -- can be reassuring to people who experience these aches.  Unfortunately, we really can’t do anything about the weather.  But at least we know there is a reason for our little aches and pains!