Weather Conditions Can Impact Chronic Pain
A recent study shows that weather changes can be linked to chronic pain. It has been well-known for many years that weather and climate have the potential to impact someone’s mood. When the sun hides behind the clouds for extended periods, people start to feel depressed. At the same time, large amounts of sunshine have been known to increase moods and happiness.
Some people also claim that they can “feel” when bad weather is coming. People might say that their knees, shoulders, or back start to ache. While this might sound like a coincidence, there has been a study done on this very topic. The results shed some light on how scientists and doctors understand chronic pain.
The Design of the Research Study
Chronic pain is one of the most pressing issues facing the country today. Across the United States, there are millions of people who live with daily discomfort in various parts of the body. Some people develop chronic pain following a severe medical condition, while others can sustain severe injuries in traumatic accidents and never fully recover.
One of the aspects of chronic pain that haven’t been studied intensely has to do with weather changes. Professor David Schultz, who works at The University of Manchester, analyzed more than five million reports on chronic pain, looking at the individual parameters of each individual. Like other chronic medical conditions, there are both good days and bad days. The researchers looked at the weather on days when people were experiencing an increase in their pain severity. The researchers then did the same thing on days when their pain was more bearable.
The Results of the Research Study
This study was completely unprecedented when compared to others that were conducted in the field of chronic pain. This was the most extensive study of its kind, both with the number of patients and length of time of data collected. The scientists collected data on the weather by the hour, using GPS locating services. The researchers judged the pain of the patients using a variety of measures, including fatigue, physical activity, the amount of time spent outside, as well as the patient’s mood.
The weather factors that most influenced someone’s discomfort were the humidity and pressure. Pressure differences drive wind speed, so the wind also indirectly plays a role in someone’s pain. High humidity, as well as lower pressure, were directly correlated with an increase in discomfort. The results of this study help to highlight the possible causes of pain in the human body.
The Importance of Weather Changes and Chronic Pain
There are several reasons why the results of this study are essential. First, it helps scientists and doctors better understand how pain signals are distributed and interpreted throughout the human body. If changes in the weather can impact someone’s pain, it gives doctors an additional method to study and understand discomfort in the patients.
Also, if patients know that the weather outside can impact their pain, it gives them greater insight into why they are hurting. Even though the conditions are out of the patient’s control, they still have control over how they respond to and deal with these changing conditions. It will be interesting to see what kind of follow-up studies are performed on this relationship moving forward. It might provide a foundation for future chronic pain treatments that have the potential to help millions of people.
Watch YouTube Video: Weather and Chronic Pain. In the following video, Dr. John Hayes explains how weather can affect the aches and pain that we feel.
Personal Injury Lawyers in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. Weather changes can have a significant impact on individuals who suffer from chronic pain. If you or an individual you care for has developed chronic pain due to an accident, call me at (916) 921-6400 or toll-free at (800) 404-5400.
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Attribution of Images: The photo used at the start of this post was found first at Pixabay.com. The photograph has been reproduced here with the instruction of the Creative Commons License.
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