The holiday season has passed and to some of us, the winter can begin to feel long and extremely cold. At Compassion Massage our clients affected by arthritis and other joint conditions, symptoms can seem to worsen in these colder months. Some people say they can even predict when a storm is coming because of the increase in pain or discomfort they feel in their joints. Well, there is some truth to this and it is caused by barometric pressure. 

 Barometric pressure is a fancy term for atmospheric pressure. It refers to the amount of force exerted on a surface depending on the weight of the atmosphere at any given time. When the barometric pressure is high, more pressure is pushing on our bodies from the outside, therefore keeping any tissues from expanding. Then, when the barometric pressure falls, the amount of outside force on our bodies decreases, resulting in expansion of our tissues. 

So, to put this simply, as a storm develops the barometric pressure drops which can often increase the amount of discomfort we feel in our joints due to excess expansion. The good news is Compassion Massage can help!