AccuWeather's Ali Reid reports on the science behind how weather can influence joint pain.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Whether it's aching joints before a rainstorm or stiffness in the cold, many people claim the weather influences their pain.
00:08They'll say my joint pain is really bad and then I'm noticing it more when it's super cold outside or I know when it's about to rain because my joints start hurting.
00:17So it's very common that we see, you know, a lot of fortune tellers coming into our office saying, oh, it's about to rain today because I know because my joints are hurting.
00:24While it's not exactly a crystal ball, Dr. Singh says there is some science to back it up, especially for those with arthritis.
00:33They get exacerbated when you have deep changes in pressures that cause even more pressure on the knee that we're swelling up the knee because of the tissues expanding and things like that.
00:43Staying active is one of the best ways to combat weather related joint pain.
00:47You always want to do some kind of active warm up to make sure your muscles are nice and warm and limber before you do your actual exercise and do some kind of static stretching afterwards to kind of make sure your flexibility is still there for your recovery process.
01:00If it's too cold or rainy to exercise outside, find alternative options.
01:05The AccuWeather Arthritis Index factors in humidity, temperature and pressure changes to predict discomfort levels.
01:12You can use the AccuWeather app to plan your activities around those days when pain may flare up.
01:18You don't need to walk outside. We have great public areas like malls, right?
01:22You can go to a mall, walk around, get your exercise in.
01:25For AccuWeather, I'm Allie Reed.