As we all know that during the winter season the pain threshold is less compared to the summer season. Changes in temperature or barometric pressure, a measure that refers to the weight of the surrounding air, trigger joint pain, though researchers aren’t entirely sure why. Researchers at Tufts University in Boston reported that every 10-degree drop in temperature corresponded with an incremental increase in arthritis pain. At the Aster orthopaedics and physiotherapy medical centre in Dubai we have witnessed an increase in the number of joint pain during the last few months as the temperature dropped. The pain symptoms are mainly more in the elderly and patients with rheumatoid. There are many hypothetical theories to the cause of pain are as follow
- The change in pressure alters the pressure inside the joint. It has been shown that pressure inside a joint equalizes itself to air pressure. (As an aside is this why flying makes many people feel so bad and it’s not just the cramped conditions causing us to stiffen up?).
- Ambient temperature affects blood flow around the body. When it is cold blood is diverted away from our limbs to our torso and head to keep our vital organs warm. Less blood will affect our muscles, so making our joints even stiffer and so more painful.
- Cold affects our nerve endings, making us more sensitive to the pain in a painful joint.
- The psychological effect. Bad weather makes us miserable. When we are miserable there is a psychosomatic reflex.
Thus these are the put forth hypothesis for the cause of pain increase during the winter season, although researchers are not sure. Another part of the skeletal system which we have observed is the spine with high frequency of spasm and strain during the winter.
Last but not least we should forget about the Raynaund disease causes some areas of your body — such as your fingers and toes — to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. Women are more likely than men to have Raynaud’s disease, also known as Raynaud or Raynaud’s phenomenon or syndrome. It appears to be more common in people who live in colder climates. This phenomenon is less seen in Dubai though although it can be considered in few individual of distal joint pains.
To conclude importance of warm clothing and good hydration play an important role in reducing the chance of joint ache and skeletal pain during the cold seasons, with a good value of Vitamin D in blood. Avoiding sleeping under AC vents, is also important factor to prevent sudden spasm and ache.
Dr. Prem James Charles,
MBBS, MS(Ortho), FAEM
Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeon
