woman experiencing wrist joint pain while it's raining

Maybe you’ve noticed that your bones ache in cold weather. Now you’re wondering: “Why do my bones hurt when it’s cold?” Well, it’s not uncommon for an old joint injury to ache on cold and rainy days. Many physicians have observed that more people feel joint pains on rainy days. So what exactly is responsible for this?

Why Does My Body Ache When It Rains?

Barometric (or atmospheric) pressure, temperature, humidity, and precipitation can influence joints. This makes it a bit difficult to know the exact factor that makes the weather affect joints when it’s rainy, humid or cold.

Why Does My Arthritis Hurt When It Rains?

The cause of pain isn’t well established. However, it’s obvious that your arthritis responds to changes in barometric pressure. When there’s a rainstorm, atmospheric pressure drops. As soon as your body detects this change, it makes your soft tissues swell up. As a result, fluid in the joints expands. Unfortunately, the expansion and contraction that takes place around the joints can irritate your nerves and cause pain.

Your pain may also occur because worn-out cartilage in the joints allows exposed nerves to respond to changes in pressure. Another reason for increased arthritic pain could be because the change in atmospheric pressure causes your tendons, muscles, and scar tissue to contract and expand. Consequently, this creates pain in joints with arthritis. Reduced temperatures may also cause the fluid in the joints to thicken and feel stiff.

You may also feel greater pain when the weather doesn’t allow you to move around the way you usually do. The truth is that you’ll spend more time indoors and restrict your movement when it’s rainy or cold outside. This can make your inactive joints become stiff and ache more.

How to Reduce Weather-Induced Joint Pain

It’s not necessary for you to move to a tropical climate to avoid this kind of pain. Use these ideas to get relief from weather-induced joint pain:

  • Keep yourself warm: When the external temperature drops, take a warm shower to stay warm. Wear warm socks and gloves. Dress in layers in the daytime and increase the heat in your home at night or sleep with an electric blanket.
  • Stay active: Use exercises like yoga, Pilates, and swimming, which put less pressure on the joints, to build up muscle strength.
  • Begin exercise gradually: When you want to exercise or jog outdoors, start with stretches that will warm up your muscles first.
  • Stay hydrated: When you’re dehydrated, your sensitivity to pain increases.

If you expect aches and pains due to pending weather, be proactive. Talk to your orthopedist about taking anti-inflammatory medication. You can also use glucosamine to reduce joint stiffness.

Do You Want to Know How to Permanently Prevent Joint Pains Due to Rain?

Call OrthoBethesda today to book an appointment with a physical therapist. We’ll help you overcome your joint pains and show you how you can continue to enjoy good muscle strength and effective joint mobility.