Can Arthritis Patients Feel Weather in Their Bones?  

Some arthritis patients swear that they can feel approaching weather in their bones. Is this possible? Or is it all in their minds? The answer is both “yes” and “no”.

Studies show that some people with arthritis feel more pain on cold, overcast days and on days following a rise in barometric pressure. However, study results were not consistent and the increase in pain reported was “not clinically significant”. The reports of patients who experience more pain with changes in temperature, barometric pressure and humidity cannot be discounted, however.

Researchers also found that patients who experience more pain in general are more likely to report feeling the effects of bad weather.

If you feel bad weather “in your bones”, dress warmly and keep your thermostat up. If you get really chilled, a hot bath can warm you up quickly. Also, be sure to keep moving, preferably in a warm area. Time spent walking in a mall or on a treadmill takes extra planning, but exercise is one way to help control the pain of arthritis. Lastly, take heart. Winter doesn’t last forever.