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What's That Rash?

Can your joints predict the weather?

26 May 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 6.227 Tegan

ABC Listen. Podcasts, radio, news, music and more.

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7.405 - 25.309 Unknown

Just one day after Jack McLennan's relationship fell apart, he vanished. I couldn't believe this was happening. Immediately, accusations started flying. You need to cough up and you need to confess. But it soon became clear there was so much more to the story. There has to be something more nefarious going on. I'm Rob Bergen.

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25.77 - 35.944 Unknown

Join me as I investigate what became of Jack in the new season of Unravel. You know where my son is. Search for the Unravel podcast on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

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36.633 - 40.338 Tegan

So, Norman, we've spoken at length before about your knee.

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40.358 - 43.082 Norman

Oh, God, we're going to have another program about my knee, are we?

43.102 - 51.474 Tegan

Well, it's not about your knee, but I wanted to ask you, does it flare up under different circumstances? Do you feel like you have more pain in it in different settings?

52.015 - 54.078 Norman

Well, if I haven't done exercise.

54.459 - 55.54 Tegan

If you haven't done exercise.

55.56 - 57.323 Norman

I haven't been to the gym. Okay.

Chapter 2: What common beliefs exist about joints and weather prediction?

95.163 - 98.787 Norman

The podcast where we answer the health questions that just everybody's asking.

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102.209 - 123.397 Tegan

Yes, today's questions come from Edwina and from Harry, who are both basically asking whether your joints can predict the weather. Edwina says, does the weather really affect joints and joint pain? I've heard older relatives often speak about a change in the weather or a change in the weather coming and therefore my wrist slash hip slash fingers are the major joint is painful.

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123.938 - 145.195 Tegan

Edwina says, now that I'm older, I have pain in joints in which previously had a fracture and with seemingly unexplained cause. What do you reckon? Is it a change in the weather? Similarly, Harry says, my question is about feeling a change in the weather in your joints. When it is about to rain, my wife has ankle pain where she had some metal work done six years ago.

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145.215 - 162.169 Tegan

And my mum also feels it where she had a break decades ago. Her GP says he feels it in his elbow. Is there a scientific basis to this? And if so, is there any truth in the tale that warm, dry climates are better for joints than cold, damp climates?

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162.284 - 167.273 Norman

Yeah, well, Harry, let's hope there's no rust in the metalwork in your wife's ankle. Oh, don't say that.

167.293 - 168.355 Tegan

Now it's in my head.

168.796 - 169.597 Unknown

Just joking, Harry.

169.617 - 170.158 Tegan

Does that happen?

170.539 - 171.701 Unknown

No. Okay. Stainless steel.

Chapter 3: Do people really feel joint pain before weather changes?

284.209 - 291.398 Tegan

Yeah, there's definitely sayings that indicate the fact that this is something that a lot of people hold onto and have for a pretty long time.

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291.766 - 310.163 Norman

Yeah, and it's not just joint pain. Seasonality does count, and winter does tend to increase the risk of a coronary event, a heart attack, for reasons that are not terribly apparent. But there are associations with seasonality. But with joints, it's just a little bit vaguer.

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310.396 - 322.682 Tegan

So can we talk about what could be happening here? Is it barometric pressure? Is it temperature? Is it humidity? How could theoretically there be a link between the weather and our joints?

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323.042 - 345.205 Norman

Well, there are quite a lot of reasons. So for example, the most basic reason is lifestyle. So when it's cold, you may well be less likely to go to the gym, to go out for a walk, to be active. And that could go along with the synovial fluid in your joint being a bit thicker and not circulating. And if you're not moving the joint, you're not getting circulation of the synovial fluid.

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345.606 - 361.554 Norman

And therefore, you could get aches and pains in the joints. It could be that your muscles work less well when they're cold, hence the idea of warming up your muscles before you take exercise because they work better when they're there. The ligaments could well be stiffer in cold weather.

361.575 - 370.17 Norman

And those are the sorts of things that could affect your perception of pain, stiffness and disability in your joint.

370.285 - 375.73 Tegan

Okay, those things all make sense to me. That sounds reasonable in my very non-medical opinion.

376.01 - 396.408 Norman

And the barometric pressure is another one, which is that it could affect the pressure on your limbs and therefore, again, the circulation of synovial fluid, although you might expect maybe high barometric pressure, which is associated with better weather, to be more associated with pain than low barometric pressure, which is usually what goes along with cold weather and rain.

397.069 - 399.651 Tegan

What about rain versus dry, wet versus dry?

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