Pain and Flares sometimes weather related?
 

Hi all, cant type much this past week with all the weather systems going by. My BF found this on The Weather Channel website.

Link to the full text/site here - many useful links:

http://www.weather.com/activities/he...=pif_loc_aches
Anne
:grouphug:
_____________________
For as long as people have been aware of weather, they've pondered its impact on their health. The Greeks noted the effect of "hot and cold winds" on pain and illness 2,400 years ago. During the Civil War, physicians wrote about amputee soldiers sensing pain in their "phantom" limbs when the weather changed. And folk wisdom tells of people who "feel the weather in their bones."
In modern times, doctors continue to explore the connection between weather and pain, especially in relation to chronic conditions such as migraine headaches and arthritis.

While many people maintain that the weather affects how they feel, scientific studies linking weather to chronic pain don't always agree. Some doctors say it's a matter of perception; patients might feel worse on a rainy day, they say, just because it's gloomy. But others say the pain is very real. Not all people who suffer from chronic pain feel effects from the weather. Among those who do, reactions depend on the individual and can be hard to measure.

For those people who are sensitive to weather, changes in weather are generally more likely to affect them than specific weather conditions. Doctors who specialize in chronic pain sometimes suggest that patients keep a detailed journal of weather conditions to establish a possible relationship to their pain.

In particular, the following weather factors may contribute to aches and pains:

Barometric Pressure
Barometric pressure is the weight exerted by the air around us. Rapidly falling barometric pressure generally signals the onset of stormy weather, and is believed to have a strong correlation with the potential for feeling aches and pains. Rising pressure may also affect some people.

Humidity
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. It can be expressed as "absolute humidity" (the amount of water vapor per unit of air) or the more familiar "relative humidity" (the amount of water vapor relative to the amount of moisture the air can hold at a given temperature). An increase in absolute humidity, especially in the summer, can lead to an increased potential for aches and pains. Some research also finds a correlation between dry, cold air and migraine headaches.

Precipitation
Precipitation includes not only rain, but also snow, sleet, hail or any other form of water that reaches the ground. It is considered a factor in aches and pains because stormy weather accompanies changes in barometric pressure and humidity. For those sensitive to hot weather, such as some people with multiple sclerosis, rain can cool the atmosphere and may bring some relief.

Temperature
Rapidly rising or falling temperatures are a hallmark of big weather changes, indicating underlying shifts in barometric pressure. Extremes in temperature, not just changing temperatures, can also affect the potential for feeling aches and pains. Low temperatures may trigger migraine headaches, exacerbate circulatory conditions such as Raynaud's phenomenon and contribute to arthritic joint stiffness. Cold weather has also been associated with an increase in asthma-related hospital admissions.

Wind
Wind often results from big shifts in weather, indicating that barometric pressure and other factors may be changing rapidly. Wind is also a health consideration because it can carry pollution and allergens far distances, therefore affecting people with respiratory ailments such as asthma.


MORE:

Part 2: Learn about some health conditions that may be affected by the weather.
Part 3: Human Barometers: Can you forecast the weather through aches & pains?
Aches & Pains Local Forecast: Just enter your city or zip on the Aches & Pains welcome page.
Message Board: Share your questions and experiences with other readers.

I think there could be a link between the two. I've noticed flare ups and questioned the weather afterward. Often they've come after weather changes but I haven't kept track well enough to say for sure.
I have been pretty uncomfortable the last six days or so. Travelled about 1100 miles round trip and been in all kinds of weather since last Friday.
Made the mistake of mentioning it to one of the Docs last year. He didn't say anything and I didn't want to appear to be malingering so I kind of made a joke about it after I mentioned it. Probably will never mention it again.

Hey everyone.. I definately can atest to the weather being a big factor in how I feel. I also have been dealing with alot of rain (when it should of been snow) and then it turned real cold and snowed finally !

My hands will swell or turn a very pale color (not blue ) and my shoulder and neck hurt more with wacky weather !

Good Thread !!

weather
 

oh yeah we know the weather woes.....
 

I always hate winter as it brings heavy coats and sweaters and cold that makes muscles get even tighter if tht is possible:eek: !! I had a great time in mexico....no pain in muscles....h/a for sure, but maybe that was the tequila.....I have to wonder if eating hot peppers every day helped my pain as well.......they do have pain relieving qualities!! natives carry a hot pepper on them in the desert so that if they get hurt or bitten by a snake or gilla monster....they can bite on the pepper and it is said to get rid of the pain.....who knows, but I know that native medicine is far more advanced as would have ourselves believe....I am saying this as a nurse not a regular joe....so that is my opinion...not that I am opinionated or anything:D

weather is not my friend in Ontario....I want to move to Mexico....yeah right!!!! I am dreaming:confused: in another place sorry guys!
I guess I am rambling on now so I will stop

take care guys and keep warm!!!!! I use four covers on my bed...feather and polyester and fuzzy fleace!!!! oh the weight of covers is almost as bad as the cat sleepin between my legs so I can't move!! but the covers are so heavy I can't!! lol :p

ok ENOUGH ALREADY VIC

take care all,
love and hugs,
Victoria

Gbsb - welcome, and....dont' be afraid to mention stuff like that to the doc - my doc told me when i started seeing him that i would most likely notice the elevated pain levels when the weather is changing, especially rapidly. and, i've gotta say i do notice it.

CNN weather map useful to us!!
 

http://weather.unisys.com/gfsx/loop/gfsx_850_loop.html

Dear CNN,
Please post the weather map shown by Chad this morning. It indicated
the severe arctic air patterns oscillating over the eastern US. I am a chronic pain patient with multiple bone fractures. The weather
has had me in HORRIBLE pain for the last week... and it oscillates in
the same time frame as Chad's weather map! Sad news is, Chad says it will last for another 10 days! I'd like to use the map to prepare for the heavy pain days. Chad and Carol ROCK!!!!
Anne
---------------
Hi Anne,
Here is the link to the weather map.
Click "loop" to get it to move over the next 10 days

http://weather.unisys.com/gfsx/12h/gfsx_850_12h.html

Thanks for watching,
Chad

Anne you ROCK
 

Hi Anne,
What an amazing idea you had, and how thoughtful to place it here for us to use!! Glad to see some of use still have use of their brain mine has gone and won't be found!

Take care and thanks!!
Love and hugs,
Victoria

Thanks Victoria,

Now the trick for me is to figure out which (isobars? millibars?) colors cause me the most trouble. I suspect the dark blue...:confused:

ok I am a nerd now u know.....lol
 

:eek: nerd alert.....

Isobars are the lines in the picture and the closer they are then an airmass or storm is pushing them together so google it and learn a little so you CAN figure it all out then you will be our weather expert!!!

:hug:
Victoria

I am definately affected by the weather... and thankfully the weather.com site has the aches and pains index and forecast where I can type in my zip code and get the weather forecast with the "aches and pain" index numbers for the week.

I often use the aches and pains forecast numbers to plan my week... if I see a day that is forecasted to be a high pain day I will make sure to not plan any activities on that day, and if I know we have to do errands or shopping I will plan ahead to do them on a day that is forecasted to be low on the aches and pains scale.

Because the weather affects me so much and is a major cause of pain flares for me, having the aches and pains index forecast is extremely helpful and useful.... although I do wish I could figure out a way to reduce the weather-related extreme pain flares, but since I can't reduce the flares themselves, at least I can plan in advance and know what days will be weather-flare days.

cool
 

ok how cool is it that there is an aches and pains index....dont think we have that on our weathernetwork for Canada.....ohhhh what a great way to plan a day or week....
Thanks for the info!!!

Love and hugs,

Victoria

:( :( :( :( :(

bump up for the newbies
 

because the CNN weather map is still a good predictor of pain for me - maybe others?

TOTALLY agree!

I pin pointed this shortly after my surgery.
The weather is increasing the CRPS!