Would you like to switch to the accessible version of this site?

Go to accessible site Close modal window

Don't need the accessible version of this site?

Hide the accessibility button Close modal window
Accessibility View Close toolbar
Synergy Health & Rehabilitation, P.A.

801 Twelve Oaks Center Dr., Suite 810

Wayzata, MN 55391 USA

952-475-4080

Open mobile navigation
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • About Us
    • Insurance/Payment Options
      • Auto Insurance
      • Worker's Compensation Insurance
      • Health Insurance
      • No Insurance/Cost Concerns
    • Our Team
    • Services & Techniques
    • Virtual Office Tour
    • Office Hours
    • WorkSmart Solutions
      • Services
      • Testimonials
    • Media
      • Lakeshore Weekly News
      • Kare 11 News
    • Testimonials
      • Written Testimonials 1
      • Written Testimonials 2
      • Video Testimonials
  • Conditions We Treat
  • For Providers
  • Reviews
  • Massage Therapy
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Community Content
    • We May Help You With
      • Auto Accident Injuries
      • Back and Shoulder Pain
      • Body Pain
      • Chronic Disease Relief
      • Conditions Affecting Women
      • Headaches
      • Herniated Discs
      • Improved Health
      • Pediatric Ailments
      • Repetitive Use Injuries
      • Respiratory Function
    • About Chiropractic Care
      • What is Chiropractic
      • How Does it Work
      • Who is Chiropractic For
      • Vertebral Subluxation
      • Wellness Resources
    • Chiropractic Techniques
    • Chiropractic Therapies
    • Life is Motion
    • Healthy Thinking
      • Get Positive
      • Relaxation Techniques
    • Wellness Lifestyle Tips
      • Treat Yourself Well
      • Treat Others Well
      • Eat Well
    • Wellness Essentials
      • At Home
      • At Work
      • Exercise
      • Nutrition
      • What You Wear
    • Wellness Perspectives
      • Social
      • Physical
      • Spiritual
      • Mental
    • Wellness4Kids
    • Newsletter Library
      • Weight Loss
      • Staying Motivated
      • Staying Young
      • Life-Work Balance
      • Stress & Anxiety
      • Mind-Body Connection
      • Wellness
      • Pregnancy & Parenting
      • Back, Body & Joint Pain
      • Senior Health
      • Healthy Tips
      • Exercise & Fitness
      • Chronic Conditions
      • Nutrition & Healthy Eating
      • Injury Rehab & Prevention
      • Breaking Bad Habits
      • Kid's Health
      • Illness Prevention
  • Home >
  • Articles >
  • Newsletter Library >
  • Does Your Pain Worsen During the Winter? Cold Weather May Be To Blame

Does Your Pain Worsen During the Winter? Cold Weather May Be To Blame

  • Created in Newsletter Library

Woman in pain in the snow

How Cold Can Affect Chronic Conditions and Worsen Pain

Winter can be the most uncomfortable time of the year if you have a chronic condition. Fortunately, making a few changes to your winter routine and visiting your chiropractor regularly can help ease your winter pain.

Why Pain and Other Symptoms Are Worse When It's Cold Outside

Arthritis, sciatica, fibromyalgia, and other conditions often seem to flare up during the coldest months of the year. Your pain may be worse due to several reasons, including:

  • Less Movement: If you live in an area with cold winter temperatures, you probably spend much more time indoors when it starts to get cold outside. When your activity level drops, your muscles and joints become less flexible and may tighten up, triggering pain. If the weather outside isn't ideal for exercising, walk a few miles on your treadmill, put on your favorite exercise video, or take a virtual exercise class. The more you move, the less you'll have to worry about aches and pains.
  • More Strain: When you do venture outside during the winter, chances are you're doing things that can strain your muscles and joints. Skiing, tubing, snowboarding, or just playing in the snow can be responsible for aches and pains, particularly if you aren't usually very active. Shoveling your driveway after a major snowstorm may also stress your joints, muscles, and tissues, causing pain for a day or two or even longer. Reduce strain by doing a few warm-up exercises before you hit the slopes, taking frequent breaks when you shovel snow, or using a snowblower to make the job easier on your body.
  • Barometric Pressure and Weather Changes: A decrease in barometric pressure may be the reason that your pain is worse on a cold day. When the barometric pressure drops, your tissues, muscles, and tendons may expand. The expansion can increase pressure on your nerves and joints, triggering pain. Humidity may also be a factor in cold weather pain. In a study published in The Journal of Rheumatology in October 2015, European researchers noted that pain and stiffness increased in patients with osteoarthritis on cold days with high humidity.
  • Excess Weight: Gaining weight may not be similar to other cold-weather symptoms, but many of us tend to add a few pounds during colder months due to reasons like holiday foods and treats, getting less fresh air, or avoiding exercising because of the temperatures outside. Even a few extra pounds can stress your spine and joints. Although you don't have to give up your favorite holiday foods, eating one cookie instead of five and exercising regularly can help you avoid seasonal weight gain and pain.

How Your Chiropractor Can Help You Reduce Your Pain

A spinal misalignment may cause or worsen your pain. Misalignments can occur as a result of minor falls when you're tubing or skiing or might happen if you spend hours outside shoveling snow. Do you enjoy snuggling up in a comfortable chair with a book when the weather is nasty outside? Remaining in the same position for hours at a time can stress your spine, causing your vertebrae to move out of alignment.

Misaligned vertebrae can be the source of both pain and stiffness and may limit your range of motion. Spinal manipulation, a treatment that uses quick, manual thrusts to realign your vertebrae, will relieve your pain.

When you already have a chronic condition, the slightest change in your activity level or the weather can turn a good day into a painful one. Visiting your chiropractor regularly can help you prevent pain and relieve it when it does threaten to ruin your day.

Your chiropractor offers a variety of treatments designed to reduce pain and keep your spine, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons limber, including massage, hot and cold therapies, electrical stimulation, ultrasound therapy, soft tissue mobilization, and traction.

Would you like to avoid winter pain this year? Contact our office to schedule regular visits with the chiropractor.

Sources:

PubMed: The Journal of Rheumatology: The Influence of Weather Conditions on Joint Pain in Older People with Osteoarthritis: Results from the European Project on Osteoarthritis, 10/15

UChicago Medicine: It's cold outside! Do your joints hurt?

WebMD: Does Weather Affect Joint Pain?

  • We May Help You With
    • Auto Accident Injuries
    • Back and Shoulder Pain
    • Body Pain
    • Chronic Disease Relief
    • Conditions Affecting Women
    • Headaches
    • Herniated Discs
    • Improved Health
    • Pediatric Ailments
    • Repetitive Use Injuries
    • Respiratory Function
  • About Chiropractic Care
    • What is Chiropractic
    • How Does it Work
    • Who is Chiropractic For
    • Vertebral Subluxation
    • Wellness Resources
  • Chiropractic Techniques
  • Chiropractic Therapies
  • Life is Motion
  • Healthy Thinking
    • Get Positive
    • Relaxation Techniques
  • Wellness Lifestyle Tips
    • Treat Yourself Well
    • Treat Others Well
    • Eat Well
  • Wellness Essentials
    • At Home
    • At Work
    • Exercise
    • Nutrition
    • What You Wear
  • Wellness Perspectives
    • Social
    • Physical
    • Spiritual
    • Mental
  • Wellness4Kids
  • Newsletter Library
    • Weight Loss
    • Staying Motivated
    • Staying Young
    • Life-Work Balance
    • Stress & Anxiety
    • Mind-Body Connection
    • Wellness
    • Pregnancy & Parenting
    • Back, Body & Joint Pain
    • Senior Health
    • Healthy Tips
    • Exercise & Fitness
    • Chronic Conditions
    • Nutrition & Healthy Eating
    • Injury Rehab & Prevention
    • Breaking Bad Habits
    • Kid's Health
    • Illness Prevention

CONTACT US TODAY

We look forward to hearing from you

Featured Services

Click to Find Out More

Monday:

7:00am

6:30pm

Tuesday:

9:00am

4:00pm

Wednesday:

7:00am

6:30pm

Thursday:

9:00am

4:00pm

Friday:

7:00am

6:30pm

Saturday:

By Appointment

Only

Sunday:

By Appointment

Only

Testimonials

Reviews By Our Satisfied Patients

  • "I was very impressed with the chiropractic care I received from Dr. Anderson. I had received chiropractic in the past for my neck pain, but not to this level of care. After only a few sessions, my symptoms began to disappear, especially my neck pain, and I know I would not have been able to perform to my everyday work functions without the treatment I received."
    Neck Pain
  • "I have benefitted tremendously from the chiropractic care I received from Dr. Anderson. Not only has the adjustments helped alleviate my stiffness and aches, but it has helped me have more energy and just feel more balanced over all. A few months ago, I was able to resume a favorite hobby of mine: golf. Due to my previous pain, I never thought that’d be possible."
    Back Pain
  • "Dr. Anderson has allowed me to be headache free for quite some time now. I used to have daily nagging headaches that often would turn into a migraine leaving me unable to function. For the longest time, I thought I could just keep taking medication to have the pain subside."
    Headaches

Featured Articles

Read about interesting topics

  • Enhance Your Balance and Coordination with Chiropractic

    Having trouble keeping your balance? Call the chiropractor! ...

    Read More
  • Will Chiropractic Relieve Your Tendonitis?

    Are you tired of living with tendonitis? Chiropractic can help reduce pain and stiffness. ...

    Read More
  • Treat Your Joint Pain With Chiropractic Care

    Are you looking for a natural way to control your joint pain? ...

    Read More
  • Walk Into Better Back and Spine Health

    Could walking ease your back pain? ...

    Read More
  • Chiropractic Care for Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

    Chiropractic treatment may offer the perfect solution to back and hip pain caused by sacroiliac joint dysfunction. ...

    Read More
  • Treating Work Injuries With Chiropractic

    Are you eager to get back to work after an on-the-job injury? Chiropractic treatment can help. ...

    Read More
  • Is it Time to See a Chiropractor?

    Are you struggling with aches and pain? A chiropractic adjustment may offer the solution to your problems. ...

    Read More
  • Stop Work-Related Back Pain

    Does your back ache after a day at work? These tips can help you avoid back pain. ...

    Read More
  • Common Causes of Back Pain

    Is your back killing you? Find out what could be to blame for your pain. ...

    Read More
  • The Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Recovery Sports Injuries

    Chiropractic care can help you get off the sidelines after a sports injury. ...

    Read More
No form settings found. Please configure it.

Follow Us

  • Copyright © 2021 MH Sub I, LLC dba iMatrix.
  • Admin Log In
  • Site Map