Weather related pain.

anijen

Living with an arthritic hip I've been trying to understand the weather connection with pain. Nothing was conclusive, until I found that the changes in pain level are related to barometric pressure - not high or low, but when there is a sudden and increased rise or drop in either direction. It feels as though the body doesn't keep up. When the weather is calm and the pressure stable, pain subsides somewhat - this winter has been exceptionally difficult! Does anyone else relate to this, or have any experience of weather sensitivity to share?

Trish9556

Hi @anijen

Bad weather definitely means bad pain as far as my arthritis goes, when it's cold I hurt, when it's frozen it's nasty and when we had that prolonged period of -9 in November 22 I just curled up in a ball and cried. Funnily enough, that's when my hip went as well. I do agree with you this year has been particularly hard with all this rain…it's raining hard here again.

I often know what sort of day I'm going to have before I even open my eyes in the morning.

Trish xx

anijen

Hi Trish.

Pain first thing this morning after a not-too-bad weekend - it's windy here and when I checked the barometer it showed a huge drop!

Trish9556

Hi @anijen

It's also windy here and the local national trust property has closed today due to the wind and number of trees they have so it doesn't bode well

Trish xx

Catfriend

Yes, completely agree. I'm 80, also with an arthritic hip, and usually find that moving around is easier on calm, dry days when the pressure is steady and high. As soon as the pressure drops and we get rain and wind the pain increases so that it becomes an effort even to hobble around the house. My sister and I used to laugh at our mum when she would say that the wet weather made her bones ache, but I don't laugh now!

crinkly

Just home after a holiday in the South of France. 😍 As ever I found my mobility significantly improved in the warmer, drier climate - and made the most of it. Will see how long the effects last now I am back in the NE of England!

Baloo

I like watching the jet stream and it does seem if the jet stream is to the south, its cold and the cold gets in your bones. I suspect even with reasonably high air pressure it is cold and this is what I can feel is the unusual amount of cold, when it should be warm.

anijen

Baloo/Crinkly

You're right - I've become convinced that it's the instability of the weather here that's the problem.

The warmth of the south of France sounds so tempting!

Fran54

Hi@anijen

yes I find that when the weather is dry and as recently here in London has been quite a few degrees warmer my right knee/and both legs don't ache as much, but the colder especially wet weather my knee is more painful and my legs feel stiff and heavy and I find it hard to walk around. I am hoping the weather will now start to improve for all of us who suffer. Roll on Summer!😊

TONE5654

there are a number of medical articles out there .. quite a few relate to 'pressure ' and body pain . essentially the body naturally responds to weather changes but those of us with joint issues tend to respond slower. so when the weather changes quickly we play 'catch up' … it's less about high or low its more about the change itself … interestingly this quote describes 'pressure' effects on the body ..—- - In “bad” or stormy weather, barometric pressure drops so that there is less pressure to push against the body. This allows tissues around the joints to expand, putting pressure on the joints and increasing pain. cheers Tone.

TONE5654

just as an 'add on' to my previous comment there are many theories that body reaction to weather and circumstance changes are the basis of 'granny says its going to rain' , the 'rainmaker' of ancient tribes and the hairs on the back of your neck 'standing up' etc . all possibly a lot more useful back in time when our senses were a lot keener than now…. but modern man has found less use for … cheers Tone.

Poppyjane

Welcome @TONE5654 to the online community

Thank you for sending your first post in support of others. The relationship between weather, atmospheric pressure and arthritis is one that has been researched you are right. I add a link for your interest

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2020/may/managing-your-arthritis-in-warmer-weather/

As @crinkly and @Baloo say the warmth helps our bones.

Do look round the community some more and join in again with us soon.

Best wishes

Poppyjane

anijen

Tone5654

At last, this agrees with my findings. It wasn't conclusive as to whether it was high or low pressure which affected me, but it's definitely when there's a sudden and deep change either way - which unfortunately happens quite often in this country. Thanks for your observations.

anijen

I'm more convinced than ever this week that barometric pressure is an influence on pain level. After a big drop in pressure last Saturday my hip was very sore and walking was really painful throughout the day. However, after this my barometer has remained stable throughout the week - and so have I. Although the pain is still there, in the background like toothache, the severe pain has subsided and I've managed to do some housework, although not the spring cleaning which is needed!!

It would be interesting to know whether there is any ongoing research into this subject - it could help people to understand their pain.