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With the winter weather biting hard in many
parts of the country, you may be one of the many
arthritis sufferers who feel that their
arthritis pain is influenced by the weather -- specifically,
that they experience more arthritis pain on cold, rainy days and
less arthritis pain on warm, dry days.
Johns Hopkins Health Alerts reports on two recent research studies
on whether climate really does affect arthritis pain, which have
produced conflicting results. The Johns Hopkins Health Alerts
editors have also just released a free Special Report on Arthritis
Pain Relief to help arthritis sufferers with the latest news on
the most effective arthritis pain relief strategies.
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What the Research on Arthritis Pain Shows
One study looked for a relationship between weather and
arthritis pain in 151 people with osteoarthritis,
rheumatoid arthritis, or fibromyalgia (a rheumatic
disorder that causes
joint pain) as well as 32 people
without arthritis. All participants lived in Cordoba City,
Argentina, which has a warm climate. Participants kept a
journal for one year recording the presence and features of
any pain, and these daily reports were matched with weather
conditions such as temperature, barometric pressure, and
relative humidity.
Patients in all three groups experienced more pain on days
when the temperature was low, while people in the control
group were unaffected by any of the weather conditions. In
addition, patients with rheumatoid arthritis were affected
by high humidity and high pressure; osteoarthritis patients
by high humidity; and those with fibromyalgia by high
pressure. However, the associations were not strong enough
to allow
pain to predict weather, or vice versa.
Another study looked at 154 people (average age 72) who
lived in Florida and had osteoarthritis of the neck, hand,
shoulder, knee, or foot. Participants reported their
arthritis pain scores for up to two years, then researchers
matched the scores with the daily temperature, barometric
pressure, and precipitation status. No significant
associations were found between any of the weather
conditions and osteoarthritis pain at any site, except for a
slight association between rising barometric pressure and
hand pain in women.
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A Mild Case for Warmer Weather
Although some evidence exists that people living in warmer,
drier climates experience fewer episodes of arthritis pain,
climate does not affect the course of the disease. At most, it
may affect symptoms of arthritis pain.
One theory holds that a drop in air pressure (which often
accompanies cold, rainy weather) allows tissues in the body to
expand to fill the space, meaning that already inflamed tissue
can swell even more and cause increased arthritis pain. Other
possibilities: Pain thresholds drop in colder weather; cold,
rainy days affect mood; and during colder weather people are
less likely to be outside and get the exercise that normally
helps keep arthritis pain in check.
So does this possible link between cold, rainy weather and
arthritis pain mean that people with arthritis should you should
move to a dry, warm climate like Arizona? Not necessarily,
especially if it means leaving your family, friends, doctors,
and support system behind. If you are thinking of moving, first
spend a considerable amount of time in your new location to see
if the weather affects your arthritis pain symptoms.
But bear in mind that no environment is arthritis-proof: Even
though the people in these research studies live in warm
climates, they still struggle with arthritis pain. Similarly,
it's possible to get relief from arthritis pain in any climate.
For example, even if cold weather means you can't spend time
outdoors, you can still get valuable exercise in a gym or heated
pool.
Johns Hopkins Guide to Arthritis Pain Relief: A free Johns
Hopkins Special Report
The free Johns Hopkins Guide to Arthritis Pain Relief is
designed to give you an overview of the latest research and
findings from Johns Hopkins' specialists on the dos and don'ts
of arthritis pain relief.
The free Johns Hopkins Guide to Arthritis Pain Relief deals with
both osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), to help
keep you up to date on the latest news on the most safe,
effective arthritis pain relief strategies.
To download your free copy of The free Johns Hopkins Guide to
Arthritis Pain Relief (
http://www.hopkinsreport.com/arthritis/ ), please visit:
Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Arthritis Pain Relief Special Report
Johns Hopkins Medicine (
http://www.hopkinsreport.com /)
Article courtesy
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93858.php
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