If you’ve been feeling extra joint or sinus pain in Kansas City, this might be why
A few residents in the Kansas City area are dealing with a bit more pain around their joints and sinuses recently, and they can blame the weather. Specifically, the atmospheric air pressure.
Also known as barometric pressure, it’s a measurement of the air pressure in Earth’s atmosphere, according to science blog How Stuff Works. When the weather changes, so does the air pressure
Kansas City is experiencing 976.6 millibar in barometric pressure at weather station levels as of Wednesday morning. This is approaching a record low. A normal pressure measurement sits at 981 mbar.
After KMBC meteorologist Nick Bender discussed the pressure in a social media post Tuesday, hundreds of people shared their arthritis flare-ups and headaches because of the low pressure in the region. He says the pressure levels could reach record lows in March.
“Headache for 2 days already and back pain like no other. Go away,” said one user on Facebook.
“I, lately, have been sore in muscles I should not have been sore in and sneezing a lot. I guess that makes sense,” another user said.
“My allergies/sinuses have gone crazy in the last 24 hours. I figured the storm had something to do with it.” a user wrote.
Why is low pressure the source of the pain? Here’s what doctors and medical experts say.
Low pressure leads to joint pain and sinus flare-ups
Many people with these consistent pains say they can predict the weather based on when their symptoms start to flare up, although research hasn’t confirmed a cause-and-effect link between the two, Dr. Toni Golen, a physician and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, said in a 2022 article.
She said it’s believed that changes in barometric pressure are the reason behind the sensations people feel in their joints. When there’s less air pressure surrounding the body, it can allow muscles, tendons and other tissues to expand. This ends up placing more pressure on your joints, which can lead to the pain you may feel.
Lower barometric pressure also brings colder weather, and that’s not ideal for your joints, the Cleveland Clinic said. Cold weather can make muscles, ligaments and joints stiffer and more painful.
The weather in Kansas City went from sunny and bright to a winter storm with powerful winds in a matter of days. The dramatic shift in weather may be one reason you’re feeling a little extra pain in your hands or knees.
What is barometric pressure?
Barometric pressure changes happen as the weather changes. In addition to millibars, pressure is sometimes measured using a unit called atmosphere (atm). One atmosphere equals 29.9213 inches (1,013 millibars) of mercury (in. Hg), the science blog says.
If Kansas City’s current barometric pressure holds and is made official, it would set a new record low, surpassing the previous record of 977.3 mbar set on March 29, 1924.
