There is no clear link between weather and musculoskeletal pain, challenging a longstanding belief that changes in meteorological conditions such as temperature or humidity can trigger muscle pain or arthritis, an Australian study has found.
However, the study also showed that high temperatures and low humidity might double the risk of a gout flare,with the researchers suggesting dry weather might lead to dehydration and increased uric acid concentration in patients with gout.
The University of Sydney-led researchers pooled data from existing international studies involving more than 15,000 participants reporting over 28,000 new episodes or worsening of muscle or joint pain to inform their meta-analysis.
Knee or hip osteoarthritis were the most common conditions reported in the 11 case-crossover studies, followed by low back pain and rheumatoid arthritis.
Findings suggested that changes in air temperature, air humidity, pressure and rainfall did not increase the risk of knee, hip or lower back pain symptoms and were also not associated with new care seeking events for patients with arthritis.
This was the case when weather parameters were assessed as increasing categories, average values, maximum or minimum values, the researchers said.
One study found a significant, but small, risk of knee OA flare associated with cold and damp weather. Changes in weather parameters appeared to influence patients’ care seeking behaviour for knee OA, with higher temperatures and lower barometric pressure being associated with increased visits to physiotherapy care.
Writing in Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism [link here], the researchers said their results needed to be interpreted as transient risk rather than absolute risk.
They also noted that weather parameters were self-reported and prone to bias.
“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, Professor Manuela Ferreira from Sydney Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney and the Kolling Institute.
“Our research challenges that thinking by showing that come rain or shine, weather has no direct link with most of our aches and pains.”
She said patients should be warned against letting the weather impact their care.
“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,” she said.