Why does cold weather make joints sore?

Asked by: Mary Dennis, Bournemouth

There is a psychological link: people who claim the weather affects their joints do feel more pain than those who don’t make these claims. If weather sensitivity was a purely physical phenomenon, then people would be affected whether they believed that the variability was related to the weather or not.

But a 2007 study also found that every 10°C drop in temperature resulted in worse arthritis pain. This may be because cold weather causes changes in the fluid that lubricates each joint.

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