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Does the Weather Really Affect Your Joints?

September 1, 2016

People have connected weather to certain aches and pains for a very long, and for good reason. They’ll be doing fine, and then the weather turns cold and rainy, and joints start aching, popping, and cracking. The thing is, even though people believe the weather directly impacts their joints, science isn’t as sure. In today’s blog, we’re going to dig into this weather-pain correlation and see what it looks like from science’s perspective.

  • Theory 1: It’s in your headdreamstime_xxl_37930153

    • Like we said, people have connected joint pain to the weather for a long time. Some professionals theorize that this concept has become so ingrained, people automatically assume their pain must be due to changes is the weather. It becomes their reality, and they believe it’s true.
  • Theory 2: It’s chemical

    • Atmospheric changes increase the pressure in your joints, which prompts your bone tissue to produce TNF-alpa and IL6, which are common indicators of painful inflammation.
  • Theory 3: It’s the pressure

    • When the weather changes, the pressure goes up or down. Your joints aren’t immune to the change. In this theory, the change in pressure forces synovial fluid to move into the subchondral bone. Nerve endings protest, and you get aches and pains.

As you can see, something is happening, but science can’t put a confident finger on it. Some studies easily connect weather to pain and others can’t. The inconsistency of weather and people’s perceptions of “pain” make it difficult to pin down. Some people have rheumatoid arthritis. Some are old enough to be achy all the time; others are younger and rarely experience discomfort. Humans are each so different, it’s hard to prove macro trends and blame them on one cause. Additionally, at this point, studies are just trying to find the correlation between pain and weather, which only would confirm its existence and not explain it.

At Houston Gym, we understand the frustration that joint pain can cause. We believe that it’s possible to stay active and happy; you just have to find what works for you. We consider it a privilege to come alongside people to understand their needs and goals. We bring extensive expertise to our classes and training. If you’re looking for a place to grow in all the best ways, we are your answer. We can’t wait to get to know you!

Read our next blog for some tips on dealing with joint pain and visit our Houston fitness center today!