If you’ve ever experienced an injury where you’ve broken a bone, you may have noticed that even after it heals, it can still ache or cause pain. But what you may not know is that the pain can intensify or worsen when it rains. Particularly, In case of knee pain, if you observe the pain during a knee pain location chart you will notice that it aches exactly at the position where you previously had an injury.The question is, why do healed broken bones hurt when it rains?
Lets take a closer look at the scientific explanation behind this phenomenon.
How Bones Heal And What Happens During Rainy Weather
To understand why healed broken bones hurt when it rains, it’s essential to understand how bones heal and what happens during rainy weather. When you break a bone, your body goes through a process of healing. During this process, your body forms a callus around the fracture site, which eventually hardens and becomes new bone tissue. However, the new bone tissue is not as strong as the original bone and is more sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure. It is important to note that not only atmospheric pressure affects bones after surgery. Sometimes, mistakes after surgery can also retard healing ,specifically mistakes after knee replacement surgery affects healing. There are other causes too but the leading cause of pain during rainy season is atmospheric pressure.
Effect Of Atmospheric Pressure On Healed Broken Bones
Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted by the weight of the atmosphere. When it rains, the atmospheric pressure drops. The decrease in pressure causes the tissues in the body, including the bone tissue, to expand. Since the new bone tissue formed during the healing process is still relatively weak, it can cause pain or discomfort when it expands during a drop in atmospheric pressure. This phenomenon is known as barometric pressure pain.
To understand this better, let’s take a look at an example. Imagine a balloon that’s partially inflated. If you were to apply pressure to the balloon, it wouldn’t take much force to cause it to burst. This is similar to the new bone tissue formed during the healing process. It’s not as strong as the original bone, and when there’s a drop in atmospheric pressure, it can cause the tissue to expand and cause pain.
It’s also important to note that not everyone experiences barometric pressure pain. Individuals who have had a more severe fracture or those with a history of joint problems may be more susceptible to this type of pain. Additionally, people who live in areas with frequent weather changes, such as coastal areas, may also experience this type of pain more frequently. They need to be more careful about their bone wellness.
The lower the barometric pressure, the higher the likelihood of experiencing pain. That’s why people mostly feel pain when its cold or raining and feel relieved when temperature rises again.
Contact Our Orthopaedic Clinic!
Barometric pressure pain is a real phenomenon that affects many people who have had a broken bone. While it’s not entirely clear why some individuals experience this type of pain, it’s likely due to the expansion of weak bone tissue during a drop in atmospheric pressure.
If you’re experiencing pain in a previously fractured bone and would like to learn more about managing this type of pain, contact Knee Specialist Singapore. Our experienced team of healthcare professionals can help diagnose the underlying causes of your bone pain.