Vince_Condella's Blog

For many people, this past week has been one filled with pain.  They can truly blame it on the weather.  If you suffer from any type of arthritis, you know what I mean.  Our bodies act like a human barometer and react to the changes in atmospheric pressure.

The pressure in the atmosphere, often referred to as the barometric pressure because it is measured using a barometer, is literally the weight of the atmosphere.  When measured at sea level, the typical atmospheric weight is around 14.7 pounds per square inch.  That's a lot of heaviness pushing us down.  Except we don't get crushed.  Our body "pushes back" and maintains a balance.  Afterall, humans evolved under these atmospheric pressures, and our blood pressure and fluid flow in the body helps maintain our form.

However, because our bodies are filled with so much liquid, we act as a human barometer.  When atmospheric pressure becomes lower with the approach of a low-pressure storm system, the fluid in our joints expands a bit and exerts often painful pressure.  When high pressure arrives and pushes down a little harder, the fluid in our joints recedes a bit.

The painful part of all of this fluid movement occurs when high and low-pressure systems pass over us in rapid succession, such as every other day.  And that is exactly what has been happening these past 6 or 7 days.  There have been wild swings in atmospheric pressure, and the joints in our body feel them.

Remember when grandpa and grandma used to tell you it was going to rain because their knees told them?  They weren't kidding.