There is a statement going around among orthopaedists and rheumatologists that the weather changes could trigger joint pain. But it is actually the patients who visit them, who convey this myth. Is there any truth behind it?

What happens in actual fact is due to cold or the rainy season, the barometric pressure drops. There occurs a change in synovial fluid pressure in the joints which leads to swelling, irritation and pain.

A research team led by an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard named Dr. Anupam B. Jena said, “The weather is not causing joint pain, But when it’s raining and you have joint pain you attribute it to the weather. When it’s sunny and you have joint pain, you don’t. People get upset when you say this.”

But the above statement was disproved by Lauren Farrell, physical therapist and clinic director of Professional Physical Therapy in Hoboken, NJ and Armin Tehrany, M.D., orthopedic surgeon and founder of Manhattan Orthopedic Care. They stated that the changes in barometric pressure cause inflammation in the joints.

Dr. Robert Bolash, a pain-management specialist at Cleveland Clinic also said, “People with arthritis, neck pain or other types of musculoskeletal issues tend to report most weather-related pain; weather doesn’t seem to have as much effect on nerve pain, like complex regional pain syndrome or neuropathy.”

Robert H. Shmerling, MD, an associate physician and clinical chief of rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said that further research should be pursued in order to open up the hidden links, but he says, "there is a connection between weather and joint symptoms."

It still remains an unsolved mystery and clinicians keep advising their patients to stay active by practicing yoga, walking, stretching and warm water therapy.