Winter and Joint Pain

As winter comes around, getting out of bed and getting through the day always tends to feel more difficult. But that isn’t just because of how cold it is, but how the weather can affect your body, particularly your joints. For people that suffer from Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and many other joint conditions, winter can be exceptionally tougher and much more painful and uncomfortable.

For years people believed this phenomenon to be true and finally there is the science to prove it. Studies have shown that for people with Osteoarthritis or joint pain in their hands, knees, hips and/or back, the colder weather and increased humidity can lead directly to an increase in pain and a decrease in how well those joints function. It has also shown that the significant drop in temperature and increase in humidity can cause inflammation of tendons and muscles which often decrease joint mobility and cause joint pain.

Despite the cold weather sticking around, there are ways to manage these conditions to minimise the discomfort and maximise the body’s function. Medication and rest are currently the most utilised treatment for joint pain and similar conditions; however, a holistic approach is now regarded as best practice. Osteopathy can help in a variety of ways, combining physical therapy, patient education and exercise rehabilitation all of which are specific to each patient.

Osteopathy aims to best decrease and manage symptoms while giving the joints the best possible function. Osteopathy can do this by decreasing inflammation of effected areas and promoting improved range of motion, in combination leading to overall improved function of joints. An Osteopath may also provide you with opportunities and ideas that you can perform daily and in your own time which can help contribute to decreasing the discomfort the colder months can cause.

Smedslund, G., Mowinckel, P., Heiberg, T., Kvien, T. K., & Hagen, K. B. (2009). Does the weather really matter? A cohort study of influences of weather and solar conditions on daily variations of joint pain in patients. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 61(9), 1243–1247. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.24729

Timmermans, E. J., van der Pas, S., Schaap, L. A., & Deeg, D. J. H. (2013). Self-perceived weather sensitivity and joint pain in people with osteoarthritis in six European countries: Results from the European project on osteoarthritis (EPOSA). European Geriatric Medicine, 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurger.2013.07.078

Author: Dr Daniel Gennaccaro