Nothing is certain in life except death, taxes and the cold weather triggering joint pain, said American polymath Benjamin Franklin.
Okay, there’s a hint of a misquote to proceedings, but there’s no denying that the weather seemingly has a significant impact on arthritis and painful joints. As the mercury drops, so do your hands as you rub your knee with a deep sense of futility. Anecdotally, there are sufferers up and down the land for whom winter arrives with dread. But why? What does science say about the cold, painful link?
Why’s my joint pain worse in the winter?
Surprisingly, perhaps, the evidence isn’t equivocal. Or, at least, the link between cold weather and joint pain isn’t well understood. According to a 2015 study in the Journal of Rheumatology that involved 810 participants, daily average temperature and humidity both had a significant impact on joint pain, while a 2007 study in the American Journal of Medicine showed that both ambient temperature and barometric pressure were independently associated with knee-pain severity.
So, what’s going on? Well, one theory is that lower temperatures can lead to a thickening of synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints. This can lead to pain and stiffening. When it comes to a lowering of barometric pressure, less air pressure surrounding the body can result in muscles, tendons and other tissues around joints to expand. Again, this can place pressure on joints, leading to pain.
In fact, there’s evidence that barometric pressure plays a greater role in joint pain than temperature. A 2019 study in the journal Digital Medicine had 2,658 patients record their pain symptoms via their smartphones during a variety of weather conditions. This citizen science experiment showed a small, but significant, correlation between pain and three weather conditions – relative humidity, air pressure and wind speed. Temperature seemed to play no significant part.
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There’s also debate whether the weather conditions play a direct or indirect part. A 2024 meta-analysis undertaken by Professor Manuel Ferreira, a pain expert at the University of Sydney, Australia, dug into 11 studies into weather and musculoskeletal pain that comprised over 15,000 subjects. Ferreira concluded that while patients clearly suffered in the cold, it wasn’t necessarily the weather that resulted in the pain, rather behaviour change, like people exercising less in the winter.
All in all, while the reason for your pain might not be 100% clear, you know more than anyone that you’re suffering. So, what can be done to ease the pain in the cold or/and low pressure?
How can I treat my painful joints?
Well, a non- medicinal route is to take a hot bath or shower, and tend the area with a hot water bottle. Wear extra layers out, especially covering the painful area.
When it comes to medicine, the NHS suggests your doctor might advise paracetamol for short-term pain relief. They might also recommend a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), like ibuprofen, which are available as creams that you can apply directly to the affected area.
NSAID tablets may be needed if that doesn’t work, though that might be unsuitable for people with conditions like a stomach ulcer or asthma. Steroids, capsaicin cream and opioids are further options. But ultimately, the best advice seems to be, if you can, try to exercise – a gentle bike is good – and follow a good diet will keep muscles strong and control your weight, which is good for the joints.