NEW RESEARCH proves that it is true that rain makes arthritis pain worse.
For hundreds of years, people with arthritis have said that bad weather makes their pain worse. Today, modern science is providing proof to back up this long-held view.
Ancient Knowledge Meets New Research
In his book On Airs, Waters, and Places, Hippocrates said that to understand medicine, one had to pay attention to the weather and the seasons. More than 2,500 years later, a new study shows that he might have been right.
A significant study from the University of Manchester found that days with low air pressure, lots of wind, and humidity make joint pain 20% worse. Some people don’t believe that the weather can cause joint pain, but this study, which is one of the biggest of its kind, proves them wrong.
The Way the Study Was Done
Over 13,000 people from 124 postcode areas in Britain were asked to participate in the study. All of them had long-term pain problems, such as arthritis. Using a smartphone app, the participants tracked how much pain they were in each day, and experts compared the results to weather information.
Their research showed that high humidity, strong winds, and low air pressure were significant causes of pain getting worse. Temperature and rainfall alone did not affect pain levels, disproving earlier claims that cold or rainy days were the leading causes.
What the most recent studies find
Since the first study from the University of Manchester, more studies have shown that the weather does affect how much pain people feel:
A study released in Pain Reports in 2022 confirmed that changes in barometric pressure can make arthritis patients feel pain more strongly.
In 2023, a European study of more than 5,000 people with arthritis found that rapid changes in the weather, especially changes in humidity, were more strongly linked to pain flare-ups than cold temperatures alone.
A 2024 review of several studies showed that learning how weather affects arthritis could lead to better ways to deal with pain, such as creating personalised treatment plans based on the weather where you live.
Could a “Pain Forecast” Show What Will Happen?
From the University of Manchester’s Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis, Professor Will Dixon says that these results could lead to a “pain forecast”—like a weather forecast but made to help people with arthritis plan their actions for days when they don’t hurt as much.
“Given we can forecast the weather, it may be possible to develop a pain forecast knowing the relationship between weather and pain,” Dixon says. “This could help patients schedule more demanding activities on days predicted to have less pain.”
True Stories from People with Arthritis
Many people see this study as proof of what they’ve known for years. Carolyn Gamble, who has ankylosing spondylitis, took part in the study and talked about how her random pain affects her daily life: “So many people have pain that won’t go away, and it affects their mental health, work, and family life.” We still feel pain even when we follow the best pain control tips. Knowing how the weather affects our situation can help us accept that we can’t stop some pain.
What This Means for Managing Arthritis
Groups like Versus Arthritis are glad to hear this. They stress that better tools for predicting pain could help people take better care of themselves and have a better quality of life.
Dr Stephen Simpson, who is in charge of research at Versus Arthritis, says: “Of the 10 million people in the UK who have arthritis, more than half have pain daily that changes their lives.” Helping people find good ways to deal with their pain can make a huge difference—it can help them stay at work, be involved in their communities, and keep their independence.
Last Words: What’s Next?
Researchers are still investigating how weather affects arthritis pain, but what they have found so far shows that changes in humidity, wind, and pressure are more important than previously thought.
Pain estimates and treatment plans that change based on the weather may soon become a reality, helping millions worldwide feel better and find better ways to deal with their problems.
Until then, people with arthritis can stay aware, keep track of their symptoms and how they change with the weather, and change their routines to feel less pain on days when the risk is high.
