Is the cold weather affecting my arthritis?

For many people living with arthritis, the arrival of colder weather seems to bring a familiar unwelcome guest: increased stiffness and aching joints.

The idea that low temperatures can worsen arthritis is a long-held belief – but is this claim backed by science?

We turned to the experts to get the full picture…

What types of symptoms do people with arthritis often report during cold weather?

“Arthritis can be worse in cold and damp weather and some people experience an increase in pain sensitivity, reduced blood circulation, muscle spasms and increased joint stiffness,” says Tamsin Joyce, physiotherapist and integrated clinical services manager at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital.

What parts of the body does it usually impact?

“That depends on what type of arthritis they have, because different types of arthritis tend to affect different joints,” explains Will Dixon, professor of digital epidemiology at The University of Manchester and an honorary consultant rheumatologist at Salford Royal Hospital.

“Rheumatoid arthritis commonly affects the joints in the hands across the knuckles, whereas osteoarthritis will commonly affect people’s knees and hips. So, it really depends where people have the arthritis as to where that joint pain then gets worse.”

Is there any research about how the weather affects people with arthritis?

Research in this area is limited, however, a study led by The University of Manchester called Cloudy with a Chance of Pain, funded by Arthritis UK, found that days with higher humidity, lower pressure, and stronger winds were associated with days where pain increased significantly.

The study ran throughout 2016 and recruited over 13,000 people from all 124 postcode areas of the UK living with chronic pain conditions, such as arthritis.

Using a smartphone app, participants recorded daily symptoms while the local weather was determined from location data provided by the smartphone’s GPS.

“We knew that so many people believed that there was a relationship between weather and the pain, but nobody had previously worked out the nature of that relationship,” says Dixon, who led the study.

“The study ran for 15 months and we were able to track people’s symptoms over many months and see those changing weather patterns, and the analysis tells us what weather influenced pain the most.”

After analysing daily data from 2,658 patients, the researchers found that days with higher humidity, lower pressure, and stronger winds – in that order – were more likely to be associated with high pain days.

“We found that more painful days were associated with low pressure and high humidity,” says Dixon. “It made sense that we found a relationship with low pressure, as many people believe that they can forecast the weather based on their joint pain. The only reason that you could do that would be that something early in the cycle of the weather is influencing the pain, and that’s likely to be pressure.

“The findings that were somewhat surprising was that we didn’t find an association with pain and temperature.”

What was the main benefit of this study?

“Although we can’t change the weather, we can forecast the weather,” says Dixon. “If you understand the relationship between the weather and pain and know that there’s going to be a change in the weather, then that might tell you that your pain might be worse on a Thursday, for example, and therefore you can plan your activities accordingly.”

What strategies can help people manage arthritis symptoms and reduce discomfort?

Keep moving

“Exercise is the single best thing you can do to help arthritic pain,” says Joyce. “The general guidelines are to aim for 150 minutes of light to moderate exercise each week, working on strength and flexibility.

“It is important to find something that works for you as an individual, it might be a walk or exercise in water, start small and build on this.”

Take vitamin D 

“Vitamin D deficiency is known to be very common, so it is worth checking your vitamin D levels with your GP, as low levels are also thought to contribute to arthritic pain,” says Joyce.

Keep to a healthy body weight 

“Maintaining a healthy body weight is key, as the more excess weight we carry, the more pressure on our joints and tissues and this in turn will increase arthritic pain,” says Joyce. “There is a lot of help and guidance available to help with this, and it should be something your GP should be able to help signpost you towards.”

Keep warm

“Keeping warm is really important as it helps joints not to become too stiff and painful,” says Joyce. “Think about putting on extra layers and using electric blankets when having a nap or at night.”