You Really Can “Feel It In Your Bones”

Well tomorrow is another day!

I woke this morning with a long list of “things to do,” but then I got out of bed.

“Time out!” Everything hurts!

My friends with arthritis will understand, you really can “feel it in your bones.” My Aunt Hilda used to tell the 10-year-old Peter that and I used to laugh and think, “Sure. Okay we’ll go with that.” As I got older and developed my own arthritic issues, I began to believe her.

BACK IN THE DAY

When I was on the radio with Dr. Joe Sobel at Accuweather, I asked him about that once and he said there has actually been some research and apparently there was a link.

I did some digging this morning and found an article on arthritis.

It said, “Studies show a variety of weather factors can increase pain, especially changes. Watch for any changes in

• Barometric pressure (especially falling)
• Temperature (especially lowering)”

The study was done at Tufts University in 2007 and they found that every 10-degree drop in temperature corresponded with an growing increase in arthritis pain. Also, low barometric pressure, low temperatures and precipitation can increase the pain. Researchers don’t know exactly why this happens but they think certain conditions increase swelling in the joints.

In fact, Accuweather now has an arthritis index on their website. Not that I need anybody to tell me it’s wicked high today.

MORE RESEARCH

A recent blog at arthritis.org covered it some more. You can read that here.

It says, “The general consensus is that cold, wet weather is the worst for inciting arthritis pain.” 

Terence Starz, MD, rheumatologist at University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Pittsburgh, says “Changes in barometric pressure seem to be more important for pain levels than the actual pressure. Meaning that either a cold front or warm front coming in can ramp up the ache in your fingers. But once the weather has settled in, your pain will even out.”

A study published in the Journal of Rheumatology also found links between humidity, temperature and joint pain. Their research shows that wet, winter days are no fun.

Other scientists have developed some physical reasons for the pain. They feel that changes in the barometric pressure can cause your tendons, muscles, bones and scar tissue to swell up and cause the pain.

WHAT TO DO?

Outside of moving to Arizona, or someplace else that’s drier, I don’t see what else we can do. I have medication, (muscle relaxants) but that makes me sleepy and dopey. (And grumpy and all the other dwarves.)

I guess I’ll just mark my “To-Do” list “to be continued.” I’ll borrow that fuzzy blanket Priscilla got for Christmas and see which movies are On Demand.