there is no shortage of medical myths: you have to drink eight glasses of water per day to stay hydrated (
you don’t
), your hair and nails keep growing after you die (
they don’t
), we only use 10 per cent of our brains (
we don’t
), and many others like them.
what about bones and joints starting to ache right before it rains? though that one seems like it should fall into the myth category, there might be some truth to it.
it appears the
cold can lead to stiff, tight joints
which, along with a drop in barometric pressure, can cause some aches and pain. that drop in pressure and temperature tends to happen right before a bout of inclement weather — which could be the reason why an achy knee might feel like it’s telling the future.
barometric pressure
, also known as atmospheric pressure, is the pressure within the earth’s atmosphere. it is essentially the weight of the air molecules at any given moment, in any given place on earth.
barometric pressure is constantly fluctuating, so when it drops suddenly and puts less pressure on the body, tissue can swell. it’s possible the resulting enlargement of that tissue is what causes the irritation.
this is all theoretical, because nobody actually knows for sure why you might have some achy bones right before a storm hits. in fact, there is significant evidence suggesting there is no link between pain and weather.
it turns out the subject has been studied extensively,
with one study
finding no link between back pain and weather and
another
finding chronic pain does not correlate to climate.
2 minute read
