Tell us about your symptoms and treatment experience. Take our survey here.

caret icon Back to all discussions

Does weather impact my RA?

  1. Weather can definitely affect one's RA. However, different weather patterns affect everyone differently.While cold weather may trigger a flare or stiffness, hot weather may trigger it too. It is important to keep in mind that everyone's RA is different. Here is a helpful link to some articles on Weather and RA: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/?s=weather&submit=Go

    1. Weather absolutely can be an RA trigger. That is the easy part of the answer. The hard part is that different people are affected differently by the weather.

      1. Many in our community report that they can tell a storm is coming by how their joints are feeling. Changes in barometric pressure are thought to possibly trigger increased pressure in the joints. Changes in the weather can certainly impact your routine and mood and temperature changes can impact swelling and stiffness. Here is an article about the weather and RA that may be helpful: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/another-weather-rant

        1. Many of our community members feel that weather definitely impacts their RA! Since each individual is different, some people with RA find cold weather harder to deal with, while others find heat and humidity to be more challenging. Some find barometric pressure shifts to cause issues with their RA. And still, others find that the weather does not affect their RA at all.

          Please read our rules before posting.