I have been dealt an interesting hand in life. In my heart and mind, I am a normal 26-year-old. However, my body feels as though it is up to par with my 88-year-old grandmother.
I get aches and pains in the morning and when standing up or sitting down, I especially feel it when the weather changes. I can tell if it’s cold or raining before stepping foot outside my front door. And I’ve always wondered why I, and many others, feel this way during certain changes in the weather.
The popular connection is in the changing barometric pressure. According to Weather.com, barometric pressure is “any change in pressure, or the weight of the air pressing against the surface of the earth.” This change can bring on pain in your joints, as well as a migraine flare in those who suffer from these types of headaches.
Barometric pressure changes with the weather, like when it’s cold or raining, which can cause a physical change in people.
In a Weather.com interview with Dr. James Gladstone, co-chief of the Sports Medicine Service and associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the doctor tells readers that especially in the cold weather muscles and ligaments tighten up, making it harder for them to move and ultimately feel stiff to the person housing them. Additionally, the cold weather can cause a change in joint fluid, which can also cause severe pain. Along the same lines, Tufts University conducted a study in 2007 on the correlation between barometric pressure and joint pain. The study showed with every 10 degree temperature drop, increased arthritis pain was found in the test subjects.
Luckily, all reports say that the change that happens will change again, lessening the pain, once the weather clears or heats up. Dr. Gladstone also offered some remedies in his interview with Weather.com. He said that if you are going to do activity in cold weather, to assure you warm your body up first. He added, “Stretching indoors, jogging in place (if you’re going for a run), heat creams and heating pads can all help loosen up stiff joints.” I, on the other hand, have found that ice really helps my joint pain, whether it’s raining or it’s cold outside. I know many people that use heating pads, add yoga into their day or treat themselves to a spa. Either way, once you find your fight against the weather, you’ll be singing in the rain in no time.
