There are many reasons why we dislike cold and wet weather, including its possible effects on our body.
People often complain that 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 2500 years ago.
“It’s something I’ve seen in my own 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 will rain. May I know when it will snow“.
Although doctors agree that these complaints are frequent, the reasons behind the phenomenon still unclear. Little research has been done on the subject, and some of the studies that exist have led to confusing and conflicting conclusions.
Other studies, however, seem to indicate that climate change can induce swelling and affect how nerves surrounding injured or inflamed tissue communicate with the brain. This revives or intensifies the sensation of pain.
Is there really a relationship between time and pain?
It depends who you ask. A study published in 2016 investigated the relationship between weather conditions and pain associated with bone fractures.
The researchers looked at data from 2,369 doctor visits after patients suffered bone fractures. During follow-up visits, the researchers asked the patients how much pain they were experiencing and recorded local weather data for that day, such as the temperature, atmospheric pressure and humidity.
Patients reported more pain at annual follow-up visits if air pressure – which usually drops just before storms and cold fronts – was low and if the relative humidity was over 70% on consultation days.
But the study didn’t reveal that cold temperatures made the pain worse, but surprisingly, patients reported more pain when the outside temperature was above 35 degrees.
Studies investigating the link between weather conditions and pain associated with chronic conditions are also perplexing. In a 2019 study aptly titled “Cloudy with a Chance of Pain” (Cloudy with Possibilities for Pain), researchers analyzed pain levels collected daily on cell phones, over the course of 15 months, from 2,658 people living with chronic pain disorders.
The researchers analyzed the patients’ pain scores, recorded under various local weather conditions, and found that their pain worsened with increasing humidity and the decrease in atmospheric pressure. However, the study found no relationship between pain and external temperature.
A 2007 study found just the opposite: The pain associated with knee arthritis increased with every 10-degree drop in temperature, but the pain decreased as the air pressure dropped.
Other research has found no relationship between temperature changes and hip arthritis pain.
The results are most likely conflicting because the studies are often small and “Each is made differently”said William G. Dixon, a rheumatologist and public health researcher at the University of Manchester, England, and co-author of the cell phone study.
In other words, these are people with different conditions, rating pain in different ways, and rating different time-related variables, so it’s no surprise that the results differ.
Why is my pain getting worse and what can I do?
Although work in humans is conflicting, a handful of small animal studies support the idea that climate change can affect pain.
One study, for example, found that arthritic rats displayed more pain-related behaviors low pressure and low temperature.
There are also a few possible reasons: The pain can be aggravated 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 got on my nerves more irritable, more sensitive“explains Wolf, who was not involved in the study. It is possible that the same thing happens 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.
While 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 be logical.
People are advised to warm up before exercise, in part because heat helps relax muscles and connective tissues, so it stands to reason that “cold can stiffen connective tissues,” leading to pain. .
While many questions remain unanswered, experts say they have no doubts there is a relationship between time and pain. “I think it’s absolutely real,” Wolf said.
Suggestions
For people suffering from weather induced pain, he recommended the use of a hot compress to warm the affected area.
Pain induced by changes in air pressure may be more difficult to treat, Dixon explained, although some arthritis patients find pain relief use of compression gloves and knee pads or elbow pads.
Many patients say they wish they could escape the altogether time-induced triggersHe added.
An ironic request that you often hear in your office is: “Please, can you give me a prescription for moving to Spain?”
©The New York Times
Translation: Elisa Carnelli
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➪Osteoporosis: how to avoid recurring fractures after the age of 50
➪A surprisingly simple way to avoid knee pain
➪Rheumatoid Arthritis: 4 questions and answers
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