Running in the Spring with Arthritis

Spring is a season of transformation and change. From the grey, dark, cold days of winter we enter a world of colour, warmth and light. Spring brings with it new life—baby animals are born, flowers bloom, birds come back from migration and trees come out of dormancy and provide us with vibrant and beautiful blooms of red, yellow, pink and purple. But spring also brings rain, seasonal allergies and a flare up of joint and muscle pain.

 When I complained to my rheumatologist about the increase in pain during the spring he told me it’s common. So why does spring seem so much worse than the other seasons in relation to pain? Could it have something to do with the ground thawing, exposing molds and mildew? Or could it have to do with pollen? Or the rain and the changing barometric pressure? This spring has been a particularly difficult one: Not only have we had to deal with the stress of Covid19 and self-isolation, but we’re being jerked around by Mother Nature. On May 8th we went from blue skies to snow and hail all in a matter of minutes. It’s been 82 years since the last time we’ve had snow at this time in Toronto. On any given day temperatures can alternate between 20 degrees Celsius and -5 degrees Celsius. One day we are wearing shorts and a t-short and the next our winter coats and mittens.

 

Both winter and spring are difficult for arthritis sufferers because of the cold weather. But while winter is the driest season with little precipitation between December and March, spring is rainy with constant changes in barometric pressure.

 

Like most people with chronic pain I can predict when it’s going to rain. The temperature drops and the barometric pressure decreases triggering uncomfortable pressure in my joints, leading to headache, sore neck, back, hips and ankles. I look and feel like an 80 year old getting up off the couch. My joints creak and ache and I feel like the cartilage has been replaced by shards of glass. For years, scientists have carried out many studies on the relation to weather leading to joint pain but still no one can confirm what the connection is. One theory is that people with arthritis may be more sensitive to barometric pressure. Barometric changes can cause expansion and contraction of tendons, muscles, bones and scar tissues, resulting in pain in the tissues that are affected by arthritis. Low temperatures may also increase the thickness of joint fluids, making them stiffer and perhaps more sensitive to pain during movement.

So it may not actually be the rain that’s causing pain, but the constant changes in barometric pressure and changes in temperature. Once the weather stabilizes, then the pain also stabilizes.

 

Spring is also the start of allergy season. With new growth comes pollen. And with pollen comes a sore throat, runny nose and eyes.  And with this, inflammation as your immune system tries to fight off the allergens. In turn, this inflammation can cause a flare up in the joints that are affected by arthritis.  So while the pollen is effecting my upper respiratory system, it could also be contributing to the added pain I’m having with my arthritis. And all the coughing and sneezing can also attribute to more pain.

 

Even though my body feels like it’s been put through a meat grinder, I still run.  Not running isn’t an option. If I don’t run I will lose muscle, flexibility and fitness which actually helps my arthritis. While it may hurt to run, it’s actually lack of exercise that will create more joint inflammation and more pain. Exercise strengthens the muscles, ligaments and tendons which acts as a brace to protect the joint. If I lose muscle, my joints will be more stressed, which will lead to more damage.

 

When I begin my run my joints are stiff and inflexible, my gait is awkward and it’s more a shuffle than an actual run, but eventually I can move with more fluidity. That’s because as I’m running the synovial membrane that surrounds the joint produces a fluid which helps lubricate the joint, allowing the bones to move past one another more smoothly.  Running also increases endorphins, a natural chemical produced by the body to relieve stress and pain. They work similarly to a class of drugs called opioids. It’s amazing how after a couple kilometres of running the stiffness is gone and I’m almost pain-free. But this usually lasts only when I’m on short, easy runs.  Hill repeats, long runs and intervals will all cause more pain and stiffness by the end of the run.

 

So how do I deal with the pain? When I get back from a run I do some light stretching, have a hot shower, put on compression socks, apply a heating pad (or 2) and hook myself up to the TENS machine. I try to avoid taking NAIDs because, according to an article published back in 2017, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it was discovered that “NSAIDs not only impair muscle formation, but also tendon, ligament, and bone,” explains Warden. “NSAIDs taken prior to exercise have the potential to reduce how well tissues adapt in response to loading. Taking NSAIDs after exercise has not been found to benefit muscle recovery and has the potential to also delay healing by reducing collagen synthesis.”

Spring may not always the best weather to go out for a run, but no matter how I feel, I will lace up my running shoes and go out anyway. Because at the end of the day I know that the run won’t make my arthritis worse, but avoiding the run most certainly will.