If you can sense changes in the weather based on aches and pains in your body, you aren’t alone. Many people, especially older individuals with arthritis, claim that they can feel the weather based on the pain in their joints. While research hasn’t nailed down these weather-related pain claims, anecdotal evidence persists.
How the Weather Impacts Your Joints
It’s probably why so many people want to retire where it’s warm, says Aly Cohen, a rheumatologist in Princeton, New Jersey. Cold weather, especially changes in the temperature, can be painful.
If you look at the anatomy of the human body, there are 350 joints, but those in the hands, knees, hip, and spine are most likely to be impacted by arthritic pain. Many of the joints have what’s called bursae, or fluid-filled sacks at the joints meant to reduce friction between their moving parts. And it’s these points that seem to endure the brunt of the pain.
