Can your joints predict the weather?
5/26/202619 min
Have you heard the phrases, "aches and pain, coming rains" or about "ill health due to evil winds"?
Many people believe they can feel a change in weather coming on because pain flares in their joints.
Norman and Tegan unpack what could be going on, and whether it's backed by scientific evidence.
References:
- Associations between weather conditions and osteoarthritis pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Come rain or shine: Is weather a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review with meta-analysis of case-crossover studies
- Cloudy with a chance of pain: How the weather affects the pain of citizen scientists using a smartphone app
- Temperature extremes causing gout flare hospitalisation
- Can aching joints really predict the weather? Exploring the science behind the stormy debate
- What triggers weather-related joint pain? - Harvard Health
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTegan Taylor· Host0:00
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Tegan Taylor· Host0:11
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Tegan Taylor· Host0:29
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Tegan Taylor· Host0:35
So Norman, we've spoken at length before about your knee.
Norman Swan· Host0:40
Oh, God. We're gonna have another program about my knee, are we?
Tegan Taylor· Host0:42
Well, it's not about your knee, but I wanted to ask you, does it flare up under s- different circumstances? Do you feel like you have more pain in it in different settings?
Norman Swan· Host0:51
Well, if I haven't done exercise.
Tegan Taylor· Host0:54
If you haven't done exercise.
Norman Swan· Host0:55
Oh, haven't been to the gym- Okay ... it gets worse.
Tegan Taylor· Host0:57
And I'm assuming if you do too much exercise, it also hurts.
Norman Swan· Host1:00
Well, it's gotta be quite a lot, actually.
Tegan Taylor· Host1:02
What about, like, external factors? Do you find... Like, I've heard people before say the weather affects their joints. Is that something that you can identify with?
Norman Swan· Host1:11
Well, I can da- de- identify it having trained in medicine in Scotland, where people would come in 'cause it was always bleak and cold, particularly in Glasgow and then in Aberdeen, very cold, and people would say, "Oh, it's my joints, Doctor. Can you do something about it?" And you always wondered. But I don't find that.
Tegan Taylor· Host1:28
All right.
Norman Swan· Host1:28
Maybe that's why I'm living in Australia n- rather