Yes, the cold and humidity can make your joints ache.
Can you feel a storm coming in your knees? So can lots of people with arthritis. Some doctors think that these stories of weather causing joint pain are old wives’ tales, but science is backing up the phenomenon.
你对天气敏感吗?
Some people are more sensitive to weather than others. So you may feel more stiff and achy in the cold more than your neighbor. That doesn’t either of you is wrong, it just means that we don’t perceive things the same.
A2014 study of people with osteoarthritis (OA)published inBMC Musculoskeletal Disordersasked participants if and how weather influenced their pain. Of the 712 people who answered the survey, 469 (67%) said they were weather sensitive. It turns out that weather-sensitive people with OA experience more joint pain overall than their non-weather-sensitive counterparts.
A2011 article published inEuropean Journal of Painfound similar results in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The researchers looked at nine previously published studies of people with RA and concluded “pain in some individuals is more affected by the weather than in others, and that patients react in different ways to the weather.”
Which Weather Conditions Are Worst?
综合各种研究的结果，普遍的共识是寒冷潮湿的天气最容易引发关节炎疼痛。位于匹兹堡的宾夕法尼亚大学医学中心的风湿病学家泰伦斯·斯塔兹(Terence Starz)医学博士可能用他从一位病人那里分享的这句俏皮话来最好地总结了这一点:“南瓜上结了霜，我的关节又痛了。”
Changes in barometric pressure – a measure that refers to the weight of the air – seem to be more important for pain levels than the actual barometric pressure. Meaning that either a cold front or warm front coming in can ramp up the ache in your fingers. But once the weather has settled in, your pain will even out.
A2015 study of 810 people with OApublished inJournal of Rheumatologyfound significant links between humidity, temperature and joint pain. The effect of humidity on pain was stronger when the weather was colder. In essence, they found that wet, winter days are no fun.
A2015 study of 133 RA patientspublished inRheumatology Internationalfound that their disease activity (swollen joints, pain) was lower when their days were sunny and dry.
Why Does Cold Rain Make You Hurt?
科学家们还不确定为什么天气变化会让一些人受伤，或者为什么它对一些人的影响比对其他人的影响更大。但他们确实有一些理论。
Dr. Starz believes at least some of the increased pain comes from decreased activity. “We know that physical activity relieves arthritis pain. And when the weather is unpleasant, people tend to hole up inside. That inactivity can lead to more pain.”
Other scientists offer physical reasons behind the pain.Changes in barometric pressure can cause expansion and contraction of tendons, muscles, bones and scar tissues, resulting in pain in the tissues that are affected by arthritis. Low temperatures may also increase the thickness of joint fluids, making them stiffer and perhaps more sensitive to pain during movement.
斯塔兹博士对此表示赞同，“身心联系非常紧密。如果温暖阳光的天气让你心理上感觉更好，你的身体可能也会感觉更好。”
Related Resources:
- Arthritis Weather Index Tool
- Factors that Affect Arthritis Pain
- Breaking the Arthritis Pain Chain Toolkit
我有关节炎。在凉爽的天气里我很舒服。当季节变换到温暖的春天和炎热的夏天，我的关节就很不舒服，让我很痛苦。
The heavier barometric presssure actually eases my pain.
Are there others who experience this as well?
Yes. Winter or cold weather don’t bother me. Warm weather does
Cold weather is more painful for my mom. We all family started serving more to her. Doctors prescribe more medicines, will have to take care more in cold season.
My muscles, tendons, and bone injuries hurt very badly when the humidity is high like 84 and above. The cold weather in the winter is not as bothersome – I would actually feel relieved. But I believe also when moisture is in the forecast such as rain or heavy snow then I ache terribly. No pattern or specific reason – I know I ache with pain mostly as mentioned above.
I am 79 years old. I have osteoarthritis. The cold rainy snowy really make my pain worse. My fingers especially. Haven’t found any arthritis medication that really helps my pain.
我的脊椎有骨关节炎。Mine seems worse during our British Summer when the weather changes quickly from sun to rain
I have Osteoarthritis in my big toe. Right now, it’s very humid and warm with a rainy day in the forecast and I’m experiencing the worst pain in that joint. I too, have noticed that I actually had less pain during the cooler and colder months than in the peak of summer. The pain I’m feeling is what lead me to this thread as I was on the search for an answer for this. I was under the impression that the cold made pain worse. I thought maybe there was something wrong with my arthritis!
Yes, I do better in colder weather. The heat and humidity make it worse
暴风雨来临前，雨雪交加，外面又热又闷，我想尽一切办法不自杀。
I pray for the storms to come for when they happen my pain eases up enough to handle.
我今年39岁，可以说我也是天气的奴隶。我有骨性关节炎，第一次诊断是在我的脊椎，但随着时间的推移，大约在诊断后的15年里，它已经扩散到各处。被怀疑患有风湿性关节炎，但怀疑的医生不会去做检查，因为我没有医疗保险来支付检查费用(愚蠢的我在有保险的时候也没有去看医生，因为我还不坏)。OA和RA都是我们家族的核心成员。我一直觉得寒冷和潮湿很难熬。夏天和温暖/炎热的温度曾经是我的“好季节”。炎热和潮湿过去只会轻微地困扰我。现在，在过去的两年里，甚至夏天对我都不好。我还以为去年夏天是侥幸呢。今年夏天，我才知道事实并非如此。 It only used to be extremely low pressure that really bothered me. Now either extremely high or low makes me want to crawl in a hole and die. If the pressure hovers between 29.8 and 30.1, that is my least painful time. Anything else is bad. So I wish I could find and answer why. Or even help someone else find out why. At least if it was still just the cold that gets me, I would still have a “good season”! LOL I wish everyone the best of luck!
That’s my comfort zone,barometrically speaking, too. Windy conditions wreck me. Extreme temps, hot or cold, hurt.
When the barometer is low, my sore places feel better. When the pressure is rising, they feel worse. I believe it is that joint capsules have their own pressure, and are affected by the barometer–being squeezed a little by higher pressure, or relaxed by lower pressure.
从寒冷干燥的蒙大拿州到佛罗里达度假，我立刻注意到更多的关节疼痛。也许减肥会有帮助。
I have OA, probably had it 10 years now. Getting worse every year. Had both knees replaced 3 years ago, now wearing ankle braces without which I could not walk. I have back issues as well. I only have a slight bit of arthritis in my hands which does not really bother me for the most part. Yesterday, some bad rainy front came thru and I had so much pain all over with the joints, I think it went one step further with headaches and diariah. I could not function anymore so I went to bed. Today is better, but not 100% yet. This has happened before in summer with high humidity, but not to the severity of this episode. It is awful!!
WOW! I used to think I was the only one w/arthritis that had more of an issue with heat than cold until I read these comments. The older I get, the worse it is. I live in AZ now, and before I came here I was told the dry climate would help….NO IT DOESN’T! Please don’t move here just because an M.D. tells you this…you’ll pay the price from Mar – Oct
I am 78 yrs old and have OA from head to toe. I live in central Florida and have been here since 1990. The change in barometric pressure down here kills me. One doctor in the early 90’s told me the pain was due to barametric changes. No other doctor has volunteered an answer. They don’t want to talk about it. I had to leve south GA at an early age the OA was so bad. Moved to CT for 20 yrs and it never bothered me. I have decided wet or dry weat her makes no difference. When a weather front is moving in I’m in pain. When it gets here I’m a lot better. I lived in the high desert in CA fotr 5 yrs with no pain. 5000 ft. elevation. As soon as possible I’m going to vacation at 6000 ft in AZ. I’ll let you know how I make out.