We have all heard about people whose chronic pain gets worse when temperatures drop or when weather conditions deteriorate.
This is a complaint we often hear from people who deal with arthritis, rheumatism, fibromyalgia, and other inflammatory health issues. As one can imagine, managing pain is particularly difficult for these patients when the winter comes around; but interestingly enough, there are other chronic pain patients whose conditions worsen when the temperatures rise in the summer.
A drop in the barometric readings lets arthritis patients predict rainy days; this is when their joints are more painful because they are under greater pressure, and this is why moving to warmer climates makes sense in terms of chronic pain management. This also explains why so many Americans choose to retire in places such as Arizona and Florida, but this does not mean that they will be completely off the hook about managing pain in a warmer climate.
If you live with multiple sclerosis, arthritis, or fibromyalgia, there is a chance that your chronic pain condition will be exacerbated by heat and humidity. The same can be said about migraine patients. When compared to patients who have a hard time managing pain during the winter, those who are impacted by warm temperatures are in the minority, but that doesn’t mean their pain is less severe or less important to treat, if anything, they require more help in chronic pain management since it may be easy to misdiagnose.
Why Pain is Sharper When Seasons Change
It should be noted that increased pain during the summer is not automatically tied to barometric pressure. In the case of MS patients, for example, the problem can be traced to the core body temperature; in fact, many MS patients do not experience pain along with their neurological deterioration until the summer comes around. Humidity can play a factor in fibromyalgia patients feeling worse during the summer. As for migraine patients, warmer temperatures and seasonal allergies can trigger excruciating headaches.
There is another aspect of summer that can impact the lives of chronic pain patients, and it is related to emotional well-being. As we all know, prolonged stress and insomnia are often tied to the worsening of medical conditions. If you live in a region where extreme climate conditions are common, the stress of not being able to adjust to them will certainly have an impact on chronic pain. Stress is the number one trigger among migraine patients; the same goes for fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome, and even persistent back pain.
As long as you can stay cool during the summer, chances are that warmer temperatures and humidity will not affect you. Proper hydration, taking refreshing showers, and staying in the shade can go a long way in this regard; these are basic steps of chronic pain management during the summer, but some patients may need additional help, and this is when ketamine infusion therapy can help.
Contact Vitalitas Denver
Summer does not have to be a painful season. If staying cool does not work towards alleviating your pain condition when the temperatures rise, you may be a candidate for ketamine therapy. Contact our office today to learn more about this treatment.
