Weather & Rheumatism

Ask the Expert: Arthritis and the Weather

With winter soon approaching, people with arthritis often think about how the seasons and daily weather affect their pain and function. Studies have looked at…
hss.edu

My tip of the hat to those hunkering down to weather the cold on both the US and Chinese east coasts. Take care, keep warm, stay safe.

Can the weather really worsen arthritis pain?

Research supports a connection between the weather and arthritis symptoms, though the precise causes and effects aren’t clear.
health.harvard.edu|By Robert Shmerling, M.D.

The greek “rheuma” meaning “catarrhal flow” (cold), and the Chinese “风湿” meaning “wind & dampness”, sum up the popular belief that cold and wet weather conditions can worsen (or possibly even cause) arthritis and rheumatism.  Is there a scientific basis?

Bad weather isn’t to blame for your aching back

Australian research shows no connection between back pain and bad weather, temperature, rain, humidity, or air pressure.
www.health.harvard.edu|By Howard LeWine, M.D.

I get this a lot: patients swear by Thor that their joints hurt more when it rains more, or that their disease flares up during the cooler months. In the absence of good evidence to corroborate their experience, I hypothesise that wind chill may cause vasoconstriction, thereby resulting in ischaemic aches in scarred tissues and damaged joints.
Not that we can do anything about it, but the weather does serve as a talking point.