Nov 20th, 2013
Plenty of patients asked me during the last two weeks about having joint pain in the knees, elbows, and ankles. I figured I would answer these questions here. Usually cold, wet weather, and changes in air pressure can all leave your joints feeling stiff and you may have dull, aching pain in the winter.
If you complain of more joint pain in the winter, this could be related to arthritis, and there are a number of reasons why that may in fact be true.
The most common reason appears to be changes in the barometric, or air, pressure, with plenty of studies confirming that a drop in pressure is a major factor in arthritic joint pain. This may explain how a significant number of patients with arthritis can sense changes in air pressure and, therefore, the onset of rain and snow by having more joint pain.
It is believed that there is less atmospheric pressure holding back the soft tissue that surrounds the joints, as the air pressure gets lower. Therefore, any existing inflamed tissue in and around joints will expand to fill that space. If there were nerves in that tissue, they would be stimulated by the swelling, which would cause increased pain.
Another theory is that in cold weather the body may circulate less blood to the peripheral areas as a way of conserving warm blood around the heart. As a result, joints become stiffer, which leads to joint pain.
This decrease in circulation, paired with lower external temperatures, also causes the skin to get colder in the winter, and pain sensors work more, which is why more things hurt, or joint hurt more.
You do not have to live with this pain, and it’s time to take some actions, so talk to your Chiropractor and get an examination to determine the best course of action to manage your joint pain. For more information, please visit our website www.thewellnesscenterpdx.org or contact Dr. Gabriel directly at 503-783-8543.
Yours in health,
Dr. Mark Gabriel
Chiropractic Physician