Why knee and joint pain gets worse in winter, and what helps

Studies disagree on whether the weather itself makes joint pain worse, but many people with arthritis clearly notice it, and there are good reasons why. In the cold, muscles around the joint tighten, the fluid inside the joint becomes a little stiffer, and the body is more sensitive to pain.

Winter habits matter even more. Mornings are cold, so people stay in bed longer and skip their walk. Less movement means stiffer joints and weaker thigh muscles, and weak thigh muscles mean more load on the knee. Weddings, festivals and travel bring long hours of sitting, standing or sitting on the floor.

There is also less sunlight. Many Indians are already low in vitamin D, and it tends to dip further in winter. Low vitamin D is linked to muscle aches and weakness. It is worth asking your doctor whether a test makes sense for you.

People with knee osteoarthritis are the most common group, especially women over 50 and anyone who spends long hours sitting on the floor or standing in the kitchen.

People with rheumatoid arthritis or other inflammatory arthritis, old fractures or ligament injuries, and anyone who has had a knee or hip replacement often feel stiffer in the cold too.

Morning stiffness that eases within about half an hour of moving is typical of osteoarthritis. Stiffness that lasts more than an hour, with swollen, warm joints in the hands or several joints at once, is more typical of inflammatory arthritis and is worth showing a doctor.

Before getting out of bed, spend five minutes moving the joints gently: bend and straighten the knees, circle the ankles, and squeeze and relax the thigh muscles. This warms the joints before they take weight.

A warm shower or a hot water bag on the knees for 10 to 15 minutes eases morning stiffness. Make sure it is warm, not hot, especially if you have diabetes or reduced feeling in the legs.

Walk indoors if the morning is too cold: up and down a corridor, or a few rounds of the terrace once the sun is up. Two or three short walks in the day are better than one long one.

Keep the thigh muscles strong. Strengthening the quadriceps and hip muscles is the single most effective thing for knee arthritis, in any season. Ten to fifteen minutes a day of simple exercises is enough to make a difference over a few weeks.

Keep the knees warm. Thermal leggings or a knee warmer under clothes help many people feel more comfortable outdoors.

Break up long sitting. At weddings and functions, stand and walk a little every half hour, and use a chair rather than sitting cross-legged on the floor for long periods.

Get some sun. Fifteen to twenty minutes of sunlight on the arms and face on most days helps your body make vitamin D.

Resting the knee completely. It feels sensible, but it weakens the muscles and makes the next cold morning worse.

Relying only on painkillers or pain balms. They can make it easier to move, but on their own they do not change what is making the joint ache.

Waiting for the summer. Joint pain that comes back every winter usually means the muscles around the joint need strengthening, and winter is a good time to start.

See a doctor if a joint becomes suddenly swollen, hot and red, if you have a fever with joint pain, if you cannot put weight on the leg, or if several joints swell at once.

Also see one if stiffness lasts more than an hour every morning, or if pain wakes you at night and does not ease with a change of position.