Healthy+5Winterspring2024spreadsfinal - Flipbook - Page 16
Reducing cold-weather
arthritis pain
5 ways to make winter more bearable
I
f you’re one of the 58.5 million Americans living with
arthritis, there’s a good chance you may not be looking
forward to winter. ”
According to Matthew Stainshewski, DO, a
rheumatologist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
(SVMC), “For many people with various forms of arthritis,
cold weather and joint pain go hand in hand. From
dropping temperatures that cause the fluid in our joints
14 | HEALTHY+ | WINTER–SPRING 2024
to thicken, making joints stiff and sensitive, to changes
in barometric pressure that can cause the muscles and
tendons joints to expand putting even more pressure on
already tender joints, there are valid reasons for people
with arthritis to not love winter.”
But, as Stainshewski notes, “There’s a lot you can do to
ease the pain and stiffness even when winter is at its worst.”