Why You Might Feel More Pain in the Winter 

You’re not alone if you notice that you feel more aches and pains in the winter months. This can be due a number of reasons, like changes in barometric pressure and circulation throughout the body. If you feel the cold coming on with aches in your knees, here’s what you need to know to get better without having to wait on the warmer weather. 

The Pain Behind the Winter

While there is no clear explanation for why your joints hurt when it’s cold outside during the winter, medical professionals believe it could be caused by a drop in barometric pressure. The University of Chicago Medicine explains that when barometric pressure drops, the tendons, muscles, and surrounding tissues can expand. Since the body has confined space, the expansion of the tendons, muscles, and tissue can cause pain — especially in patients with arthritis. 

They further explain that while everybody can react differently to the drop in pressure, people who suffer from arthritis and chronic pain are more susceptible to feeling the pain and discomfort. Further, colder and bad weather can affect your mood, which can also intensify a person’s perception of pain. 

Arthritis 

It may be surprising to hear, but arthritis is not a single disease. In fact, it’s actually a way of referring to joint pain. The Arthritis Foundation explains that there are more than 100 types of arthritis and similar conditions. It can affect people of all ages, sexes, and races, and is the leading cause of disability in the United States. 50 million adults and 300,000 children have some form of arthritis. While this is the case, it most often affects women and doesn’t happen until you are older in age. 

Common arthritis joint symptoms include: swelling, pain, stiffness, and limited or decreased range of motion. For some people the symptoms are infrequent, however, in others, the symptoms are constant. The pain can range from being mild to severe and tend to get worse over time. Arthritis can cause chronic pain, and make it difficult to do daily tasks and shores around the house. 

Causes of Arthritis 

There is no one reason why a person can come down with arthritis, however, certain activities can increase your risk of developing this condition. Risk factors can include:

• Repetitive activity like jogging or typing
• Athletic activity that puts stress on the joint 
• Hereditary conditions that cause degeneration of the cartilage in each joint
• Development of bone spurs due to injury or other issue
• Obesity
• Repeated surgeries in one part of the body
• Diabetes 

Arthritis Problems

While age-related joint pain can be chronic and hard to eliminate completely, it does respond well to conservative treatments like physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications. If you don’t seek treatment to help slow down the joint damage, you could experience further damage, like:

• Loss of shape or movement in a badly affected joint
• Stiffness that makes it hard to use find hand movements
• Numbness and tingling that spreads throughout the extremities connected to the affected joint
• Extreme tenderness that is irritated, even by your clothes  

Reducing Joint Pain in the Winter 

As we’ve explained, winter can be what triggers even more aches and pains in people who have arthritis. U.S. News & World Report explains a few ways you can avoid joint pain this winter.  Their tips include:

• Continuing to exercise to keep your range of motion and prevent joint pain
• Wear more layers to help keep your body temperature and joints warm
• Changing your workout routine in the winter, focusing on indoor aerobics 
• Be sure to stretch to prevent stiff joints 
• Try over-the-counter medication like acetaminophen and ibuprofen to help get through the colder months 
• Use warm packs for cold joints carefully
• Try over-the-counter creams, heat gels, and other rub-on remedies for joint pain 

Further, be sure to look forward to the warmer months coming, knowing the cold weather doesn’t last forever in most places! 

Get Help with Winter Aches with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center

Whether it’s arthritis pain or just a new back ache that comes along with the winter, calling our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center can help get you back on your pain and prevent further injury and future pain. If you are suffering from pain this winter, our specialized treatment plans here in the Austin area can help you understand what it will take to get you pain-free and keep your symptoms from coming back. Make an appointment with us today by calling our office at (512)-806-0015.