Joint Pain: Weather Changes

Have you ever heard someone complain that their joints hurt when the weather shifts? It's not a myth—pain from weather changes really do happen. There are three weather changes that can make your joints ache: pressure changes, temperature drops, and humidity.

When the barometric pressure changes, this can indicate a storm is about to move through. It can also mean your joints are in pain. It's not so important where the pressure stands at a given moment—the changes in pressure are what seem to cause the pain. This may be because your tendons, bones, and muscles expand and contract as the pressure shifts.

When the thermometer drops, joint pain tends to rise. It's not well understood why this happens, but it could involve the thickness of your joint fluid. Joints have fluid that keep them lubricated, and cold weather makes this fluid thicker, which could lead to stiffness. This problem is worse when it's wet outside, as cold weather and high humidity have been shown to cause more pain than either by itself.