Video: Why does my knee hurt when it rains? Knee pain and rainy days | Curovate

by Nirtal Shah - Physical Therapist, Andrew Veley - Physical Therapist

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The age-old question why does my knee hurt when it rains? Everybody knows somebody that can predict the weather based on their knee pain. Actually 67% of people with knee osteoarthritis believe that rain causes their knee to hurt so there must be some validity to it. If you want to learn the difference between arthritis, osteoarthritis and osteoarthrosis read this blog. Here are four reasons why a person with knee osteoarthritis or knee pain may experience pain:

  1. With rain comes a change in atmospheric pressure and that change in pressure can be sensed by damaged nerves in your knee that would result in felling pain.
  2. When it rains it's typically pretty cold outside and with that cold weather the fluid in the knee, called synovial fluid, can actually thicken and cause more friction and more stiffness.
  3. There's typically higher humidity when it rains and with higher humidity the painful tissues in the knee starts to swell and cause pain.
  4. When it rains typically you're stuck indoors and it's just not a very happy time and those mood changes can often lead to more pain.
Listen to Andrew Veley, physical therapist, explain why knee pain can increase on rainy days.

After watching the video above you should not feel hopeless about your knee pain. There are many simple things you can do to address your knee pain even on rainy days! Learn about why you SHOULD exercise even if you have knee osteoarthritis by reading this blog post. Also learn if running can cause knee osteoarthrits. Lastly, learn a simple at home way to manage your knee pain on rainy days and sunny days.

Read Andrew's full blog on why your knee hurts when it rains.

Read all 8 of Andrew's blogs here!

If you are recovering from an ACL injury or ACL surgery, knee replacement or you have knee osteoarthritis and want to address your pain and improve your knee function download our Curovate physical therapy app from the links below. Curovate provides daily video guided strengthening exercises, the ability to measure knee range of motion, in-app chat with a physical therapist to answer your surgery and recovery questions and educational blogs and webinars.

If you need further customized assistance with exercises for knee pain check out our Virtual Physical Therapy page to book your 1-on-1 video session with a physical therapist.

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Other blogs related to knee pain and osteoarthritis:

References

1. Timmermans EJ, van der Pas S, Schaap LA, et al. Self-perceived weather sensitivity and joint pain in older people with osteoarthritis in six European countries: results from the European Project on OSteoArthritis (EPOSA). BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014;15:66. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-66

2. Smedslund G, Hagen KB. Does rain really cause pain? A systematic review of the associations between weather factors and severity of pain in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Eur J Pain. 2011;15(1):5-10. doi:10.1016/j.ejpain.2010.05.003

3. Timmermans EJ, Schaap LA, Herbolsheimer F, et al. The Influence of Weather Conditions on Joint Pain in Older People with Osteoarthritis: Results from the European Project on OSteoArthritis. J Rheumatol. 2015;42(10):1885-1892. doi:10.3899/jrheum.141594

4. Jamison RN, Anderson KO, Slater MA. Weather changes and pain: perceived influence of local climate on pain complaint in chronic pain patients. Pain. 1995;61(2):309-315. doi:10.1016/0304-3959(94)00215-Z

5. Fu K, Metcalf B, Bennell KL, et al. Association of weather factors with the risk of pain exacerbations in people with hip osteoarthritis. Scand J Rheumatol. 2021;50(1):68-73. doi:10.1080/03009742.2020.1760929

6. Bade MJ, Kohrt WM, Stevens-Lapsley JE. Outcomes before and after total knee arthroplasty compared to healthy adults. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010;40(9):559-567. doi:10.2519/jospt.2010.3317