Joint pain triggered by sun?

[Poppyfields65]

Is the sun a common trigger to make joint pain worse which then continues days after?

[Simba1992]

On the contrary, sun has been seen as relieve joint pain. An other thing is what effects RA meds may have in combination with sun.

[Rosiesmummy]

Whilst sunshine is good for joint pain,I have found heat and humidity very bad for pain.

[Simba1992 in reply to Rosiesmummy]

Strange for me heat really feels good, I don't know about warm humidity but cold really feels bad.

[Rosiesmummy in reply to Simba1992]

For me the best day is a cold dry sunny day. Summer really wipes me out,especially when it's very hot, I only go abroad in spring or autumn.

[helixhelix in reply to Rosiesmummy]

Completely agree! Hate heat, and love cold crisp, bright days. Don't care if it's dry heat or wet heat, I just hate it! (Which is possibly why I live 2000 ft up a mountain)

[Simba1992 in reply to helixhelix]

Did you always feel like this, before RA and the meds too?

[helixhelix in reply to Simba1992]

No, I was a complete sun baby -spent a lot of time in hot countries with no problem at all.

[Simba1992 in reply to helixhelix]

So do you think it has to do with RA or of the effect of the meds? When I felt ill at the start of my RA I had a hard time in the heat and stopped enjoying the sun as much as I did before. Now I feel quite a change when my inflammation is down and energy back.

[nomoreheels in reply to Simba1992]

I felt as though I couldn't tolerate the sun from being a sun follower, my h & friends couldn't understand it & I was dumbfounded until my Consultant told me I wasn't unusual. It lessened the longer I tried to sit out but at one stage my 20/30 minutes of Vitamin D fix were difficult, the opposite of how I was pre diagnosis.

[Simba1992 in reply to nomoreheels]

Do you think it had to do with RA or the effect of the meds or a combination of both?

[nomoreheels in reply to Simba1992]

Hard to tell. Certainly on HCQ I had light sensitivity but I was only on that just over a year then I started MTX. I'd been on that a fair while when I started tolerating the heat & sun better, though never truly as I had before. Now back in the UK the heat's not as intense so I've no problem anymore. Just need to get back to test if I can still tolerate it, not this year though as we've just bought a new car & touring the UK this summer.

[Simba1992]

More about the sun and meds.

healthcentral.com/article/p...

[sylvi]

The factor in this is the sudden rise in tempreture and sudden drops in temp. affect me.xxx

[Simba1992 in reply to sylvi]

Low pressure coming always makes symptoms worse for me.

[popsmith1874]

The sun is great for me as I don't have as much pain when I'm abroad where as the damp weather really brings my pain out

[woodstar1]

I'm the same,heat for me adds to inflammation!! Cooler is better for me as well.

[hawker955]

It doesn't affect me apart from the sun making me happier! but my grandmother who had RA for over 60 years always said she was worse in hot weather.

[Simba1992]

This is what Mr. Google says about hot wheather and pain. The effect of the sun is an other thing to look up😊

njmetropain.com/summer-join...

[Simba1992 in reply to Simba1992]

And here about the sun and sun exposure.

healthline.com/health/arthr...

[Simba1992 in reply to Simba1992]

And here more scientific info. Found it quite interesting.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[nomoreheels]

It's humidity that I struggle with, in the same way that I do with damp. Heat I was ok with before diagnosis but I became a hermit, hiding from the sun, I just couldn't tolerate the heat which was difficult living in a sunny country but I don't remember it hurting my joints. It did become better but to think in my 20's I'd lie on a beach all day only going in the sea to cool off, I became the complete opposite. I tolerate it better now but the humidity thing has never gone, hurts my joints but you can't escape that either so I'm stuffed!

[Gnarli]

I've been back from week in Gran Canaria for a week now and I wish I hadn't gone. My hands wrists, fingers, ankles, feet, toes and hips all started complaining. As I'm on methotrexate I was careful in the sun. Smothered In factor 30 and staying out of the sun, covered up and under a sunshade I felt like a freak. The joints are still unhappy as heck and am so tired.

I'm not looking forward to our trip to France in June very much now.

Sorry to whinge.

[janmary]

I have a theory (one of many) that sudden changes in air pressure irritate joints.When flying I can feel my wrists and fingers and feet complaining sharply as we descend for landing, and watch them swelling up.

I've always had problems with very hot humid weather, but love the sun as long as there's a gentle breeze......

[Stephenlangtonriley]

Like some others here I have find hot sunny, but definitely not humid, weather to help with my joint pains, which is why I liked living in Gran Canaria, it was not humid in the south and I felt much better.