Pain Forecast?

The truth about rainy days and our health

- Melissa Greer

THERE’S SOME TRUTH to the age-old belief that achy joints are a sign that bad weather is on the way. It’s not just anecdotal: research shows a relationship between pain levels and changes in weather, particularly for people who suffer from chronic conditions such as arthritis.

“Some people with arthritis say they can predict weather, or that the weather changes their level of pain,” says Siân Bevan, chief science officer at Arthritis Society Canada.

The name of a 2019 UK study, Cloudy With a Chance of Pain, says it all. It analyzed the daily pain logs of 13,000 residents with arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines and neuropathic pain. Using GPS data from participants’ smartphones, the researchers found correlations between pain and relative humidity, barometric pressure and wind speed. Participants were more likely to experience aches and pains on stormy, windy days and least likely to do so when conditions were dry and calm.