There are many reasons why we don't like cold and wet weather, including its possible
effects on our bodies
.
People often complain that the pain from old injuries, such as broken bones or sprains, and from chronic ailments such as arthritis is exacerbated when it's cold or rainy.
Hippocrates complained about the same thing 2,500 years ago.
"It's something I've seen in my patients," said Jennifer Moriatis Wolf, a professor of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation at the University of Chicago Medical School.
"Patients say,
'I know when it's going to rain. I can tell when it's going to snow
.'"
Although doctors agree that such complaints are common, the reasons behind the phenomenon
remain unclear
.
Little research has been done on the subject and some of the studies that do exist have led to confusing and conflicting conclusions.
Other studies, however, seem to indicate that weather changes can induce swelling and affect the way nerves surrounding injured or inflamed tissues communicate with the brain.
This
revives or intensifies the sensation of pain
.
Many patients report that the pain reappears or worsens with weather changes.
Photo Shutterstock.
Is there really a relationship between the weather and pain?
It depends on who you ask.
A study published in 2016 investigated the relationship between weather conditions and pain associated with bone fractures.
The researchers examined data from 2,369 doctor visits after patients suffered bone fractures.
At follow-up visits, the researchers asked the patients how much pain they were experiencing and recorded local weather data for that day, such as
temperature, air pressure, and humidity
.
Patients reported more pain at annual follow-up visits if the atmospheric pressure - which usually drops just before storms and cold fronts - was low and if the
relative humidity was higher than 70%
on the days of the visits.
But the study did not reveal that cold temperatures made pain worse, but surprisingly, patients reported more pain when the outside temperature was above 35 degrees.
Studies investigating the link between weather and pain associated with chronic conditions are also somewhat puzzling.
In a 2019 study aptly titled
"Cloudy With a Chance of Pain
," researchers analyzed pain levels collected daily on cell phones, over the course of 15 months, from 2,658 people living with eating disorders. chronic pain.
The researchers analyzed the patients' pain scores, recorded under various local weather conditions, and found that their pain
worsened with increased humidity
and decreased atmospheric pressure.
However, the study found no relationship between pain and outside temperature.
A 2007 study found quite the opposite: Pain associated with knee arthritis increased with every 10-degree drop in temperature, but pain decreased when air pressure dropped.
Other research found no relationship between temperature changes and hip arthritis pain.
The results are most likely conflicting because the studies are often small and
"everyone is done in different ways
," said William G. Dixon, a rheumatologist and public health researcher at the University of Manchester, England, who co-authored the study with cell phones.
In other words, these are people with different conditions, who assess pain in different ways, and who assess different variables related to time, so it is not surprising that the results are different.
Pain induced by atmospheric pressure can be more difficult to treat.
Photo Shutterstock.
Why is my pain getting worse and what can I do about it?
Although the work in humans is conflicting, a handful of small animal studies support the idea that weather changes can influence pain.
One investigation, for example, found that arthritic rats displayed more pain-related behaviors in
low-pressure, low-temperature
environments .
There are also a few possible reasons: the pain can be made worse by the response of the nerves to the environment.
According to one study, the nerves in rats that communicate pain sensations to the brain were more active at lower atmospheric pressure.
Why?
"The change in barometric pressure made the nerves
more irritable, more sensitive
," explains Wolf, who was not involved in the study.
The same thing may happen in people.
The researchers also found that drops in air pressure are linked to tissue swelling, which can lead to pain.
A 2014 study found that when air pressure dropped, the connective tissue surrounding the joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis expanded, causing
pain and tenderness
.
Although a relationship between cold temperatures and pain has not been proven, Timothy E. McAlindon, chief of rheumatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said it
would make sense
.
People are advised to warm up before exercising, in part because heat helps relax muscles and connective tissues, so it stands to reason that "cold can make connective tissues stiffer," causing pain. .
Although many questions remain unanswered, experts say they do not doubt that
there is a relationship between weather and pain
.
"I think it's absolutely real," Wolf said.
Advice
For people experiencing weather-induced pain, he recommended the use of a heating
pad
to warm the affected area.
Pain induced by changes in atmospheric pressure can be more difficult to treat, Dixon explained, although some arthritis patients find relief by
wearing compression gloves
and knee or elbow pads.
Many patients say they wish they could completely escape
weather-induced triggers
, he added.
An ironic request that you often hear in your office is the following: "Please, can you give me a prescription to move to Spain?"
©The New York Times
Translation: Elisa Carnelli
***
These notes may also interest you:
➪Fibromyalgia in the first person: "I felt pins all over my body, even my tongue hurt"
➪Osteoporosis: how to avoid recurrent fractures after the age of 50
➪A surprisingly easy way to avoid knee pain
➪Rheumatoid arthritis: 4 questions and answers
***
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