You may have heard people talking before about aches and pains caused by the weather or changes in weather patterns. We probably all have a great aunt who swears she knows when it is going to rain because her knee, elbow, or hip is hurting. But can the weather really cause you to feel more pain? How? And is there anything you can do about it?
Barometric Pressure and Your Body
To answer the first question, yes. The weather can absolutely have an effect on your body to the point of feeling aches and pains. This mainly has to do with barometric pressure. Barometric pressure is the measurement of the weight of the atmosphere. When barometric pressure is higher, the atmosphere surrounding you will put more pressure on your body and when it is lower, the atmosphere around your body feels lighter.
Think of how it feels when you step outside on a humid day. The air feels heavy, right? But what does that have to do with pain? When the atmosphere is putting more pressure on your body, it is also putting more pressure on your joints.
On the flip side, when that pressure lowers your tendons, muscles, and tissues will actually expand or swell which causes more friction and pain and pain in your joints. If you have arthritis, this can be especially painful.
How Your Chiropractor Can Help
Now that we know how barometric pressure can affect your body and cause more aches and pains, what can you do about it? The good news is that an expert chiropractor like Revive Medical Center can offer natural, drug-free solutions so you don’t have to slow down just because it is colder outside. But there are also things that you can do on your own to keep that pain at bay. These include:
- Staying warm both indoors and out to influence the inflammation level of your joints
- Use a warm compress on the affected area of your body
- Keep moving to disperse the swelling
- Schedule an appointment with Revive Medical Center
At Revive Medical Center, we can help reduce the pain in your tissues and joints through specialized chiropractic treatments and massage therapy. If you are having any concerns about new aches and pains in your body, call us today to schedule a free consultation.
