Maintain a healthy weight to decrease stress on your joints, especially your knees.

This reduces pressure on your joints, so they are less prone to injury.

Build up muscle and bone strength through exercise.

Ease the shock of cold weather on your body by dressing in layers to stay warm.

If you have consistent or severe pain that becomes disabling, seek medical care right away. If you experience any unusual or new symptoms with your joints - such as persistent swelling, redness, difficulty putting pressure on, or using, the joint - it’s a good idea to consult your physician. Also, bad weather can affect people’s moods if you are sad or depressed, the perception of pain can be magnified. Are some people more susceptible than others?Įveryone’s body reacts to fluctuating barometric pressure, but people with arthritis and those with chronic pain are more vulnerable to feeling discomfort.

Because of the confined space within the body, this can cause pain, especially in joints affected by arthritis. One theory relates to drops in barometric pressure, which cause tendons, muscles and the surrounding tissues to expand. There is no one explanation for why dropping temperatures affect your joints. Why does the cold cause pain and stiffness? Understanding why certain people react to weather changes and others do not is unclear, but there are several steps you can take to be more comfortable and reduce your risk when the weather turns cold. Stiffness, aches and pains are often associated with changes in weather, especially the falling temperatures of winter.

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