
15/09/2025
The days of summer often involve time outside enjoying backyard cookouts, gardening, maintaining lawns, sitting around campfires, and cooling down at a pool or beach. However, for individuals with chronic pain, summer can also involve flare-ups and increased pain.
Inflammation — Heat and humidity can affect the level of synovial fluid, which is the fluid that lubricates the joints. This can lead to inflammation within the joints. Heat and humidity can also increase overall levels of inflammation in the body, which can increase pain.
Barometric pressure — Changes in barometric pressure (e.g., changes that occur before and after summer storms) can cause tendons, muscles, and scar tissue to expand and contract, increasing joint pain. For individuals with arthritis, nerves in the affected bones may also be sensitive to changes in barometric pressure, causing pain. Pain can develop with both increases or decreases in barometric pressure.
Temperature regulation — Some chronic pain conditions involve difficulty regulating body temperature, blood pressure, and pulse rate, especially during temperature and humidity changes.
Migraines — Migraines may increase in frequency or severity in response to changes in temperature, humidity levels, or barometric pressure.
Ozone — Summer weather can increase the levels of ozone in the atmosphere, which can affect individuals with fibromyalgia, chronic pain syndrome, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and other health conditions. Urban air pollution can also increase inflammation associated with these conditions.
If your chronic pain worsens during the summer months, there are a few things you can do to alleviate some of it:
Drink Water: Drinking lots of water and staying hydrated helps you maintain electrolyte levels and avoid pain that stems from dehydration.
Wear Loose Clothing: Tight clothes and heavy fabrics make the heat worse. Wearing linen or light cotton clothing keeps your body cool and comfortable, and allows sweat to easily evaporate.
Swim: Not only is swimming a great cardio exercise, it’ll also help keep you cool and take pressure off of your joints.
Stay Inside: If humidity and heat cause your pain to worsen, spend time indoors by the A/C. The cooler indoor weather will help you regulate your body temperature. Spending time outside can make joint pain worse and your anti-inflammatory medication less effective.
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