﻿Can Weather Really Make Arthritis Pain Worse? - Arthritis Center - Everyday Health

Can Weather Really Make Arthritis Pain Worse?

Millions of people living with arthritis believe cold, damp weather worsens the pain in their joints. But science has never been able to prove it. Who's right?

When it comes to weather and arthritis, scientists and people living with the condition have agreed to disagree. Decades of research has not found any definitive connection between joint pain and cold or humid weather. But don't tell that to people with arthritis -- they know when their joints hurt.

Doctors like Elaine Husni, MD, a rheumatologist at the Cleveland Clinic, are caught in the middle. "The changes in barometric pressure and the changes in humidity can cause some expansion within your joints," she says, acknowledging that "may make people feel like their joints are a little bit more painful."

But studies that followed people with arthritis who moved from cold, wet climates to hot, dry ones did not find any significant reduction in symptoms. And skin makes you waterproof, so increased humidity does not actually reach your joints.

Doctors are on firmer ground when it comes to exercise and arthritis. The thinking used to be that exercise could damage the joints and should be avoided by people with arthritis. But today the advice is to keep moving.

It's hard enough to motivate yourself to exercise even when you feel fine. When you're stiff it can be even more difficult to get off the couch, but it will help you in the long run.

Dr. Husni says the swimming pool is a great place to get started with an arthritis exercise program. "Water therapy is a bit more helpful because you do have some buoyancy," she says.

And your joints don't need a vigorous workout to stay loose. Walking, stretching, and yoga are great ways to stay supple.