Science Says Your Knees Really Are Your Personal Meteorologist
- 11 years ago
Medical professionals have long debated the possibility that aches and pains are a sign of bad weather to come.
Medical professionals have long debated the possibility that aches and pains are a sign of bad weather to come.
Some say it’s all in the mind, but others assert they’ve found compelling evidence or formed plausible theories about how and why some people’s bodies can predict impending storms.
A common thread in the explanations of the believers is barometric pressure.
When bad weather is coming, the barometric pressure drops, and the compression inside and around the joints changes.
Robert Jamison, a psychiatry and anesthesia professor at Harvard University, compares the joint pain to air pressure pushing both in and outside of a balloon.
If the force on the outside is lessened, the interior can expand.
That, he said, is what likely happens to joints. The difference is that when they grow outward, they can irritate nerves and tissue.
Increases in humidity may also cause the swelling that impacts several potentially pain-causing areas including the bones, ligaments, and muscles.
Another explanation given for the link between pain and weather is that people who already suffer from chronic inflammation are susceptible to sensory nerve aggravation.
Some climate conditions could trigger the sensors to send pain messages to the brain.
Medical professionals have long debated the possibility that aches and pains are a sign of bad weather to come.
Some say it’s all in the mind, but others assert they’ve found compelling evidence or formed plausible theories about how and why some people’s bodies can predict impending storms.
A common thread in the explanations of the believers is barometric pressure.
When bad weather is coming, the barometric pressure drops, and the compression inside and around the joints changes.
Robert Jamison, a psychiatry and anesthesia professor at Harvard University, compares the joint pain to air pressure pushing both in and outside of a balloon.
If the force on the outside is lessened, the interior can expand.
That, he said, is what likely happens to joints. The difference is that when they grow outward, they can irritate nerves and tissue.
Increases in humidity may also cause the swelling that impacts several potentially pain-causing areas including the bones, ligaments, and muscles.
Another explanation given for the link between pain and weather is that people who already suffer from chronic inflammation are susceptible to sensory nerve aggravation.
Some climate conditions could trigger the sensors to send pain messages to the brain.