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Many people can tell when there’s about to be a weather change when they experience joint pain. It’s common to blame the change in weather as the cause of a joint-pain flare-up, and doctors believe people experience more joint pain on cold and rainy days. However, research connecting the two isn’t clear.
This article will discuss the correlation between cold weather and joint pain and what can be done to relieve it.
What Causes Joint Pain on Cold Rainy Days?
Stormy weather causes a drop in barometric pressure. When your body detects this change, it could make your muscles, tendons, and soft tissues expand and contract. Unfortunately, this contraction and expansion around your joints can irritate your nerves and cause joint pain. Low temperatures can also cause stiffness by making the fluid inside your joints thicker.
Humidity, precipitation, and temperature are also at play. This makes understanding exactly what it is about the weather that causes some people to experience joint pain even trickier for scientists.
How to Manage Weather-Related Joint Pain?
Here are some ways in which you can help to alleviate your joint pain on colder days:
Keep Warm
Whenever the temperature drops, do whatever you can to keep warm. Take warm baths or showers and wear layers during the day (including warm socks and gloves). Crank up your heating and use an electric blanket.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Keep active to maintain a healthy weight. The heavier you are, the more pressure is applied to your knees. Perform exercise that is gentle on your joints, like swimming and yoga. This will help you to develop bone and muscle strength. If you want to exercise outside, ensure you warm up properly with some gentle stretches.
Paraffin Bath
Consider trying a paraffin bath. It’s a small machine used to melt paraffin wax. The idea is to let the wax harden on your skin by dipping your hands and feet in it. Your achy joints may be soothed when your body absorbs the heat.
Take Care of Yourself
Ensure you take care of your overall health with good nutrition and plenty of sleep.
Rainy Day Joint Pain
Joint pain is common whenever the pressure drops outside. So far, scientists have found that once our bodies detect this change, they react by expanding and contracting the tissue surrounding our joints. Luckily, there are ways to relieve the pain and without taking medication. These include keeping warm and maintaining a healthy weight.
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