Some like it hot!

Have you noticed how achy joints get stiff on a cold morning?

This is a major dilemma for many arthritis patients who plan to travel to a colder country. You see, in most parts of the Philippines, a cold December or January means a 25 degrees centigrade and summer is easily a 37. And for many of my patients, at 25 C, the joints complain!

This observation is common and hypotheses abound as to why the so-called "gelling phenomenon" of arthritic joints happen. It is said that the lesser motion during sleep may cause inflammatory elements to remain in the joint areas and cause more tightness and consequently, pain, as the patient starts to move on awakening. Pain on the other hand, is chronic in most of the arthritides, and chronic pain can make an individual sensitive even to a slight touch, temperature/weather change or anything at all, that ordinarily should not cause pain. This is called allodynia, a close equivalent to lowered pain threshold. So, we happily "blame it all on the weather".

The association of cold and achy joints is very strong for some patients and yet, in my experience, as soon as these patients from the tropics get to the colder countries, many if not all, report back that their arthritis has not intensified, or even, that the pain had gone altogether. 

The explanation? Your guess is as good as mine. I do tell my patients who worry about such trips to temperate countries to go and enjoy their visit, because, the weather may not matter after all. Still, the standard advise to get that extra warm mitten or socks, just in case, is still to be given, just in case.