Is joint pain weather-related?
A 2016 IFOP (French Institute of Public Opinion) survey showed that 93% of French people suffer or have suffered from joint pain. Rheumatism encompasses all pathologies of the locomotor system (osteoarthritis, chronic inflammatory rheumatism, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, etc.). Several studies show a correlation between painful joints and environmental humidity, although this phenomenon could be indirect and due to a decrease in physical activity linked to bad weather.
However, a study from 2019 published in Nature analyzed the pain symptoms of 2,658 patients for 15 months according to weather data. The authors concluded that these symptoms were neither due to lack of physical activity nor to a low mood due to bad weather, but that the probability of pain was increased by 20% by humidity, atmospheric pressure, and wind speed.
The mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are not yet identified, one hypothesis being that lower air pressure would allow muscles and tendons around the joints to take up more space, thus exerting more pressure on the joints. In short, contrary to popular belief, rain and cold might not be directly linked to joint pain, and many grey areas remain on this subject.