By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

The Greek philosopher Hippocrates in 400 B.C was one of the first to suggest that changes in the weather can worsen pain conditions. Since then, a large body of folklore and personal anecdotes have reinforced that belief – although the science behind it is mixed, at best.

A large new systematic review – a study of studies – is once again throwing cold water on the common belief that chilly, rainy weather can trigger muscle and joint pain.

“There is a common perception that there is an increase of musculoskeletal symptoms such as back pain, hip pain or arthritic symptoms during certain types of weather,” said lead author Manuela Ferreira, PhD, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Bone and Joint Research, the University of Sydney. “Our research challenges that thinking by showing that come rain or shine, weather has no direct link with most of our aches and pains.”

Ferreira and her colleagues started out by reviewing over 1,100 studies involving weather and pain, rejecting most because they were small or poor quality. Only eleven studies met their criteria for inclusion. An analysis of those studies found no sign that humidity, air pressure, temperature or precipitation significantly raise the risk of a pain flare from rheumatoid arthritis or low back and knee pain.

But they did find evidence that a combination of warm temperatures and low humidity is associated with a higher risk of a pain flare in people with gout, a form of arthritis that causes severe pain and swelling in the joints of the feet and lower legs.

The study was published in the journal Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

“Although changes in weather conditions are frequently described by patients as triggers for pain and other symptom exacerbation, they do not appear to be significant risks for knee, hip, low back pain, or headache exacerbation, and have a small influence in symptom exacerbation of gout disease,” researchers concluded.

A 2017 study in Australia had similar findings, showing no association between back pain and changes in temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind direction or precipitation. Damp weather appeared to make people more aware of their pain, but the symptoms disappeared as soon as the sun came out – suggesting there’s a psychological cause.

Another recent study in the UK found only a modest association between weather and pain. The Cloudy with a Chance of Pain study collected data from 10,500 people who recorded their daily pain levels on a smartphone app for over a year. The GPS location of their phones was then compared to local weather conditions. Participants reported feeling more pain on days with low barometric pressure – and the wet and windy weather that usually comes with it.

Hippocrates may or may not have a point, but researchers say people in pain would be better off paying less attention to the weather and more on getting treatment.

“When seeking pain prevention and relief, both patients and clinicians should focus on how to best manage the condition, including weight management and exercises, and not focus on the weather and let it influence treatment,” says Ferreira.