Aug 21

Rain Not Linked To Arthritis Pain, Says Study

Matthew

If your need for an easy access shower is due to joint pain, you may be interested in this new study which looks to dispel some myths surrounding conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

As the world has suffered from  this joint-wearing condition, we’ve assumed that wet and cold weather can cause flare ups, but according to new research that may not be true.

Interestingly, the research is not from a medical source, but is by search engine operators, who have correlated people’s searches for information about back and joint pain against the local weather at the time.

Instead of finding that cold weather was causing more pain, it found more Google searches took place when temperatures were hot. Yet this still might not be down to the temperature as such. The data showed that searches were actually down when weather was wet, as well as when heat reached uncomfortable levels.

Scott Telfer, a researcher in orthopaedics and sports medicine at the University of Washington, explained why this correlation might be present: “People are more active on nice days, so are more prone to have overuse and acute injuries from that. They then search online for relevant information.”

While the study looks to dispel the connection between bad weather and joint pain, all it really does is offer up a time when people suffer worse from these pains. It might seem obvious that the more stress you put on your body the worse it will be, but it does not necessarily rule out poor weather as a cause of pain flare-ups.

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