Does Weather Cause Winter Aches and Pains?

It is cold and raining outside. When you climb out of bed, you feel it throughout your body: your right knee is painful again. Walking the dog or getting to the gym will be more difficult. You assume the weather must be responsible.

This is a widely held belief, but it is not supported by the evidence.

Our review found no direct relationship between the weather and most everyday aches and pains. In the first study of its type, we found that temperature and humidity were not directly connected with most joint and muscle pain.

Why, then, do so many people believe the weather is at fault? This is what we think may be happening.

Weather can affect health

Weather conditions are frequently linked with the likelihood of developing new health problems or with existing conditions. Cold weather, for instance, can make asthma symptoms worse. High temperatures raise the risk of heart conditions, including arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat), cardiac arrest and coronary heart disease.

Many people also strongly believe that weather affects their aches and pains. Two out of every three people with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip or hand, for example, report that cold temperatures bring on their symptoms.

More than seven million Australians live with musculoskeletal conditions. We therefore investigated whether the weather really causes the flare-ups people experience during winter.

How we examined weather and pain

Only a small number of studies have been designed appropriately and specifically to assess a direct association between changes in weather and joint or muscle pain. Our research is the first to assess information from these particular studies.

We analysed data from over 15,000 people worldwide. Collectively, they recorded more than 28,000 pain episodes, mainly involving back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. The data also included people with rheumatoid arthritis and gout.

Next, we compared how often pain was reported across different weather conditions: hot and cold, humid and dry, rainy and windy, along with certain combinations, such as hot and humid compared with cold and dry.

What the research found

Changes in air temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and rainfall did not raise the likelihood of symptoms affecting the knee, hip or lower back. They were also not associated with people seeking treatment for a new arthritis episode.

These findings indicate that changes in weather do not cause flare-ups of joint or muscle pain, and that a cold day does not make knee or back pain more likely.

In other words, there is no direct association between weather and pain in the back, knee or hip, and weather will not cause arthritis.

However, it is important to point out that very cold temperatures, below 10°C, were seldom examined. We cannot therefore draw conclusions about symptoms becoming worse during more extreme weather changes.

Gout was the sole exception to these results. Pain from this inflammatory form of arthritis, which can occur intermittently, increased in warm and dry conditions.

The biological process underlying gout differs greatly from that of back pain or osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, which may account for this finding. Warm, dry weather may increase dehydration, which can in turn increase uric acid concentration in the blood. In people with gout, this may lead to uric acid crystals being deposited in the joint and cause a flare-up.

Why people blame the weather

Weather may affect other behaviours and factors that then influence the way we experience and deal with pain.

During winter, for example, some people alter their exercise habits and opt for the sofa rather than the gym. We know that sitting for long periods is directly associated with more severe back pain. Other people may adjust their sleeping routine or sleep less effectively when conditions are too cold or too warm. Poor sleep, again, can bring on back and knee pain.

Changes in mood, which are commonly experienced in cold weather, can similarly lead to increases in both back and knee pain.

These winter-related behavioural changes may therefore contribute to additional aches and pains, rather than the weather itself.

Expecting pain to be worse in winter, even where it is not, may also make us feel worse at that time of year. This is called the nocebo effect.

What can you do about winter aches and pains?

It is better to concentrate on pain risk factors that you can control and change, rather than those beyond your control, such as the weather.

You can:

• increase your physical activity. This winter and all year round, try to walk more, or speak with your health-care provider about gentle exercise you can safely undertake at home, with a physiotherapist or personal trainer, or in a pool
• lose weight if you are obese or overweight, as this is associated with lower joint pain levels and improved physical function
• keep warm during winter if unpleasantly cold conditions leave you feeling muscle tension. Make sure your bedroom is comfortably warm too, as people tend to sleep less well in cold rooms
• follow a healthy diet and avoid smoking or consuming high amounts of alcohol. These are key lifestyle recommendations for managing many forms of arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions more effectively. For people with back pain, for instance, a healthy lifestyle is associated with better physical function.

Manuela Ferreira, Professor of Musculoskeletal Health, Head of Musculoskeletal Program, George Institute for Global Health and Leticia Deveza, Rheumatologist and Research Fellow, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.