Weather And Pain Maybe Related; Be Part Of The Research That Finds Out

Doctors are trying to investigate if there is a link between weather and pain. Patients suffering from chronic conditions such as arthritis complain that their symptoms get worse during damp and cold days.

"In terms of really trying to scientifically study it, [research] is rather sparse and contradictory," says rheumatologist Bonita S. Libman, professor of medicine and division chief of rheumatology and clinical immunology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington, as cited by Everyday Health. Libman explains there might be truth to the old wives' tale that aching joints mean a change in weather.

Finally, medics are offering thousands of people who suffer from chronic conditions to take part in their research. The study will be done by gathering data using the participants' mobile phones.

The research will use the information to provide a daily "pain forecast". A similar research was previously done to determine the pollen count in today's weather forecasts.

"We're asking people to download an app on which they can score their symptoms every evening - it takes less than a minute," according to Dr. Will Dixon, a rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist at the University of Manchester, as cited by Daily Mail. The GPS on the participant's phone will then automatically collect the weather data that they have experienced that day.

Dixon continues to explain that the massive data set through time will be collectively analyzed. When researchers can better understand the relationship between weather and pain, they can hopefully forecast pain as well.

Once research can forecast when a person's symptoms will be bad, they can plan their lives better. A bad day can restrict the amount of activity a person does so anticipating the weather will enable that person to take precautionary measures.

People suffering from osteoarthritis can cause stiffness not only in the knee but it can also inflict pain when the sufferers walk a bit far. One in five people over the age of 50 suffer from osteoarthritis.

Anyone based in the UK aged 17 and over suffering in chronic pain can take part as long as they have a smartphone. The team of researchers will be collecting data all throughout 2016 and will hopefully have a conclusion by the summer of 2017.  People who want to take part in the research should visit www.cloudywithachanceofpain.com.