Chiropractic Corner
Can you feel when the weather is about to change? Maybe you’ve felt some pain that let you know rain is on the way. Was it a coincidence or can your joints really predict a storm? Believe it or not, the weather forecast you get from your joints might have some validity, thanks to the effects of changing barometric pressure has on your body. And there may be a way to keep that prediction from hurting so much. Howcanchangeinweathercausepain? One theory points to changes in air pressure or barometric pressure. Although many people will say that their pain worsens with damp or rainy weather, research has shown that it is not the cold, wind or precipitation that causes an increase in symptoms, but the change in pressure that comes with it.
Barometric pressure is the weight of the atmosphere that surrounds us. If you think of the soft tissue structures surrounding the joints like a balloon, high barometric pressure that pushes against the body from the outside keeps the tissues from expanding. But barometric pressure often drops before bad weather arrives. This lower air pressure pushes with less force against the body, and the tissues around the joints are allowed to expand. This expansion can press upon nerves, causing pain.
In addition, when people have chronic pain, nerves can become even more sensitive because of injury, inflammation and/or scarring. Research has come to mixed conclusions, but barometric pressure is a likely explanation as it does physically affect a person’s body.
