Weather vs. Symptoms
"Aches and pains, coming rains" is no wives' tale for those who
live with chronic pain. But are such weather-related complaints
biological or psychological?
"People with arthritis have weather-related joint pain for
biological reasons," says Michael Shutty, Ph.D. Their joints swell due to
low barometric pressure. But among people with other types of chronic
pain, the picture is not quite so clear.
Shutty and his colleagues created a questionnaire to evaluate how
weather affects patients and gave it to those attending a pain clinic at
Western State Hospital in Staunton, Virginia, for neck, shoulder, or arm
pain.
All but three percent of them reported some connection between the
weather and their pain. Temperature changes, humidity, precipitation, and
sudden weather changes were most commonly reported as causing pain.
Symptoms most influenced by weather were muscle aches and soreness, joint
stiffness, and trouble sleeping, the researchers report in Pain (Vol. 49,
P. 199).
Although a large number of patients said that weather affected
their pain, "when you ask them to name specific symptoms, they're
inconsistent," says Shutty. This suggests that psychological factors are
involved.
"People have beliefs about pain and weather that influence how they
feel," says Shutty. Some patients notice the weather only when pain
worsens. Others hear a weather forecast and start dwelling on pain. "If
you truly believe that weather affects your pain, you'll focus on it when
the weather's bad," says Shutty.
He believes that the psychological and biological factors involved
in pain are highly individualized. Recognizing the extent of
psychological beliefs can help patients avoid being debilitated by them.
"Many focus on their pain so much, they may not get up in the morning.
They end up doing less, when they could be doing more to help
themselves." A good rehabilitation program should assess whether weather
makes patients focus on pain, and work to overcome its barriers.
ILLUSTRATION: (FRANCIS JETTER)
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