If you have arthritis, you’re probably familiar with the way that cold weather makes your joints protest movement even more. Not only can the cold weather bring along greater joint aches and pains, but the ensuing stiffness can affect your balance and reflexes, which may make you more susceptible to falling if you step on a slippery patch.
Being able to use your aching joints as a predictor of the weather that is to come may be helpful, but learning how to manage your arthritis in the winter can help make the cold months more bearable.
Why Does Arthritis Get Worse In The Winter?
As we know, our body has its ideal temperature, and when the surroundings differ from it considerably, it can alter what resides under the skin. Specifically, cold weather can cause the synovial fluid that lubricates your joints to become more sludge-like. As a result, cold weather may not cause arthritis, but it can make the aches and pains more severe by heightening pain sensitivity, slowing blood circulation, and causing muscle spasms.
So, the next time a cold spell makes your joints ache more, know that the increase in pain is not in your head, but it’s also not something you have to feel helpless against.
How to Cope with Winter Arthritis Pain
With weather being a factor that we cannot control, it may seem as though you have to endure the pain that rears its head in the cold winter months and count down the days until warmer weather. However, while you cannot change the weather, there are things that you can do to support your joints when the temperature drops.
Stay Warm
Since cold weather can cause your synovial fluid to thicken, it makes sense that staying warm can help combat this. In fact, staying warm is often the best antidote.
Stay indoors when you can and layer up under blankets, using an electric heating pad if the flare-ups are really bad. When outdoors, don’t forget your winter coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. If your joints are really stiff, a hot bath may be just the remedy you need to really loosen up your joints.
Stay Active
The cold weather and shorter days may make you long to hibernate as the animals do, but it’s important to remain active in the winter, especially if you have arthritis.
Exercise serves as the best way to keep your joints happy and prevent arthritis pain by increasing your strength and flexibility. As a bonus, exercise releases feel-good hormones that help ease your pain.
Stretching is also important for your joints, especially before you head outside to exercise. Stretching can help to loosen up the joints and get them warm, which then decreases your risk of injury.
However, it’s important not to overdo it. If you’ve been primarily sedentary, it’s best to talk to a doctor before starting an exercise program so that you can avoid causing injury from doing too much too soon. It’s also important to remember that a gradual increase is key.
Check Your Vitamin D
The sun may be a great source of vitamin D, but it’s out less in the winter months. For those with arthritis, a vitamin D deficiency is linked to increasing arthritis pain because it can contribute to bone loss.
Try to get outside when the sun is shining, and if you’re still concerned about a vitamin D deficiency, bring it up with your doctor.
Reach Out For Arthritis Help
If you have arthritis, you don’t need to endure the pain and stiffness on your own. If the winter months are making your arthritis flare up, consider reaching out to Orthopedic Associates to schedule an appointment with Imran Choudhry, MD, who specializes in treating arthritis of the thumbs and fingers.
Don’t let your happiness freeze over with winter because of arthritis pain—let Orthopedic Associates help.