Weather may truly affect arthritis pain

By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For people with osteoarthritis of the hip, pain levels tracked with the weather over the course of a small two-year study, Dutch researchers say. They looked at reported pain levels in a previous study of arthritis, then went back to weather records to document the conditions each day. It turns out the participants’ aches were just a little worse and joints just a little stiffer when humidity and barometric pressure levels rose. “This is something that patients talk about all the time,” Dr. Patience White told Reuters Health.