Why does barometric pressure affect pain

Barometric pressure refers to the weight of the air around us. In good weather, barometric pressure is high. This pressure pushes against the body from the outside, helping to keep tissues — including the tissues that surround our joints — from expanding.

This allows tissues around the joints to expand, putting pressure on the joints and increasing pain. One study from Tufts University showed that with every 10 degree drop in temperature, arthritis pain increased in the study participants. It also showed that low barometric pressure, low temperatures and rain can increase pain. Studies in cadavers have showed that barometric pressure can affect pressure in the joints. In one cadaver study, low atmospheric pressure threw the ball of the hip joint off track by more than one-third.

However, other studies have shown that regardless of where people live, their bodies seem to establish a new equilibrium to the climate they live in.

One study that looked at chronic pain sufferers in warm and cold areas — San Diego, Nashville, Boston, and Worcester, a Massachusetts city with much colder temperatures than Boston — found that two-thirds believed the weather worsened their pain. However, the perceived effect of weather on pain was not found to be related to the regional climate.

Expanded tissues can put pressure on joints and cause pain. All of those tissues have nerve endings that can feel changes in the weather, which may result in tightness, stiffness, and some discomfort. So if you plan to be active in cold weather or high altitude, warm up first with stretching exercises and wear appropriate clothing.

The Arthritis Foundation published a study from Tufts University in that found that every degree drop in temperature corresponded with an incremental increase in arthritis pain. In addition, low temperatures, low barometric pressure, and precipitation can increase pain. Researchers are not sure why weather changes cause pain but suspect that certain atmospheric conditions increase swelling in the joint.

For more information, visit arthritis. Decreasing pressure which ushers in bad weather means air presses less on our bodies. Cold can make muscles, ligaments and joints stiffer and more painful. But Dr. Especially the speed at which these changes occur. Reporting is also key here, as it may be the reason people conclude what appears to be a direct connection of weather to their specific type of pain. Some studies include data pointing to patients seeking care for certain types of pain during rainy weather.

If damp cold weather exacerbates pain, you may wonder — why not move to where the weather is milder, warmer or dryer? This lower air pressure pushes less against the body, allowing tissues to expand — and those expanded tissues can put pressure on the joint. Furthermore, when people have chronic pain, sometimes nerves can become more sensitized because of injury, inflammation, scarring, or adhesions, he says.

Nevertheless, the link between pain and weather changes remains hypothetical; research has come to mixed conclusions, Jamison says. San Diegans in his study noticed pain even with small changes in weather. Borenstein notes, too, that when people with arthritis vacation in a warm climate, they often stay in a hotel and eat out, relieving them of daily duties that cause pain.

And that relief can be deceptive, he says, because if they actually move to a warmer climate and resume daily activities, the pain often returns. Relief is possible. During weather changes, some people with arthritis will need to increase their pain medications , Borenstein says. They can take these steps, too. Stay warm.