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THERE IS NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RAINY WEATHER AND BACK PAIN

By: Dr. Donna A. Pontoriero, Chiropractor

Rainy weather has long been blamed for achy joints. Unjustly so, according to new research from Harvard Mediacl School. The analysis found no relationship between rainfall and joint or back pain.

The notion that certain symptoms and weather go hand in hand has persisted since antiquity. Hippocrates, writing in On Airs, Waters, and Places, exhorted those who wish to understand medicine to look at the changing seasons of the year and study the prevailing winds to see how weather they bring affects health. The belief has endured over the centuries and well into the present, likely fueled by a combination of folklore and small studies that have repeatedly yielded mixed results.

The newly published analysis used a "big data" approach, linking insurance claims from millions of doctor's visits with daily rainfall total from thousands of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather stations. No matter how they looked at the data, the researchers didnt see any correlation between the rainfall and physician visits for joint pain or back pain. The bottom line: painful joints and sore backs may very well be unreliable forcasters.

Whatever the cause of your aching back and/or joints, chiropractic treatment could be your best treatment option.

Chiropractors focus on disorders of the musculoskeletal system, most often treating complaints such as back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches. Chiropractors will also recommend a range of other therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, and provide dietary and lifestyle counseling.


Please contact our office if you would like further evaluation on your condition.

Dr. Donna Pontoriero can be reached at 299 Franklin Ave, Nutley NJ 07110, 973-235-9393.