Aching Bones and the Weather - Is There a Connection?

By Laurence Smith
It is common to have a friend who has said: "I can predict it is going to rain by my joints - they ache before it rains". Most of us are inclined to just smile at a statement like this, and wonder if such a friend also believes in ghosts or green men from Mars. Is there, however, something to this. Is there a logical explanation

that explains and supports this old wive's tale.

When someone informs us that their joints ache because of impending rain, they're referring to the bones in those joints. Unfortunately, you'll find almost no nerves in bone that may conduct the impression of pain. This is a result of the nature of bone, which is fairly dense and, over time, excludes any nerve endings and blood vessels, which initially existed in the bone during childhood. However, as much of us know: if we break a bone we definitely feel pain. So why the paradox?

Most bone is enclosed by a thin tissue layer referred to using the scientific name, periosteum, which means "surrounding bone". The periosteum, quite differently than bone, is composed of a nerve network that may conduct the feeling of pain. When a bone breaks, it tears the periosteum which surrounds the bone. This subsequently irritates the nerve networks, which conduct the sensation of pain, which we all experience when we break a bone. So by cutting or irritating the periosteum we realize that we have a broken bone.

Wait, how does that explain how many people can "predict" if it is going to rain because of their achy joints? The answer, of course, is changing air pressure, or barometric pressure. When it is increasing, expect sunny skies and good weather. When it decreases expect cloudy days with the increasing chance of precipitation, rain or snow. But how can this affect the periosteum? When the barometric pressure increases, that change has an effect upon the human skeletal frame and will actually force a compression, although tiny, directly on the bones. As an end result, the bone's diameter decreases slightly.

The opposite condition takes place if the barometric pressure falls. The decreasing pressure around the human frame allows the bones to grow, again minutely in diameter, but enough to exert pressure on, and stretch the periosteum. This in turns starts irritating the nerve network, which relays the sense of pain, alerting the brain of a sensation of pain or aching in the joints. Unlike a full break in the bone less nerve fibers are irritated, hence the feeling of pain is slight, so that we don't experience high levels of pain.

So, the next time your friend informs you that he thinks it will rain because of his aching joints, you can smile knowingly and ask if he would like to know why.

Dr. Smith has been in private practice for 30 years. He received his B.S. from the University of Illinois and his medical degree from the National University of Health Sciences. He holds postgraduate degrees in sports medicine, peer review, and manipulation under anesthesia. He has received numerous state and local awards and recognition, is a sought-after speaker and lecturer, and authored the book, "Choosing to Live a