An arthritis sufferer’s joints start to get ornery when the weather turns colder, getting stiff and achy as the mercury drops.
Cold weather doesn’t cause arthritis, but it can make it worse, experts say.
"Our joints operate best in temperate weather," said Dr. Mariko Ishimori, interim director at the Cedars-Sinai Division of Rheumatology in Los Angeles. "When the weather gets cooler, the synovial fluid that acts like motor oil in our joints becomes more like sludge."
Frigid temperatures also can increase a person’s pain sensitivity, slow their blood circulation, and promote muscle spasms, the Arthritis Foundation says.
And if that weren’t enough, your joints detect and respond to changes in air pressure that accompany weather fronts.
"A drop in barometric pressure can cause muscles and tendons to expand, which can put more stress on an already crowded joint," Ishimori said in a Cedars Sinai news release. "When your joint cap expands, you can feel that."
But there are some simple steps that people with arthritis can take to protect themselves against joint pain caused by cold weather, experts say.
