You might have heard people with arthritis say that their joints feel stiffer and more painful in the winter, or even experienced this yourself, but why is this, and do our arthritic dogs feel the same worsening of symptoms?

By learning what happens in the body when joints are affected by arthritis, and how different weather conditions can influence different structures and tissues of the body, we can better understand why arthritic symptoms tend to flare up in the winter months. We’ll also take a look at how Clinical Canine Massage, applied by a professionally-trained therapist, can help to significantly reduce your arthritic dog’s pain, and increase their mobility and movement.

 

What is arthritis?

There are different types of arthritis, however the most common form in both people and dogs is osteoarthritis (also called ‘degenerative joint disease’), a condition characterised by pain and stiffness in the joints (commonly the hips, stifles and elbows in dogs), due to factors including:

• Deterioration of articular cartilage (which covers the ends of the bones that form the joint), leading to reduced shock absorption, and increased friction between and wear of the bones in the joint
• Formation of osteophytes (bone spurs that grow on the bones in the joint), triggered by inflammation.
• Changes to the shape of the bones and joint, leading to impaired mechanical function
• Inflammation of the joint capsule (fibrous connective tissue which inserts into the bones of the joint, and seals the joint space), and of the synovial membrane (the lining within the joint capsule), leading to:
  • tissue thickening
  • increased volume of synovial fluid inside the joint, resulting in swelling
  • reduced viscosity of synovial fluid, resulting in increased joint friction
  • the release of pain-inducing bio-chemicals near to nerve-endings
• Weakened, over-stretched or torn ligaments
• Inflamed or irritated tendons and/or bursae
• Weakened muscles

 

What are the symptoms?

Typical symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

• Pain/aching in the affected joint during exercise/following prolonged activity/towards the end of the day
• Stiffness of the joint first thing in the morning or after periods of rest
• Reduced range of motion in the joint, which may improve with movement
• Grinding/cracking/clicking sounds from the joint when it moves
• Osteophytes (‘bone spurs’) which may be visible/palpable as joint deformities
• Mild swelling around the joint, that may increase with physical activity and as the condition progresses.
• Joint instability
• Commonly, asymmetry e.g. the right hip is affected but the left hip is not
• Weakened, and possibly painful muscles, due to lack of use or from trying to support arthritic joints (muscles in the immediate area of the joint, and muscles providing compensatory support elsewhere in the body)
• Changes in posture and gait as a result of impaired mechanical function in the affected joint or attempts to reduce pain by off-loading weight and movement effort from the affected joint to other areas of the body

 

What causes it?

Key factors which can contribute to the development of and/or severity of osteoarthritis in dogs include:

• Misalignment of musculoskeletal structures (e.g. joint dysplasia)
• Repetitive overuse of the joint (e.g. working dogs, sports dogs, repetitive ball-chasing)
• Injury to the joint (e.g. bone fracture, cartilage tear or ligament tear)
• Obesity – additional weight places more physical stress/pressure on the joint, plus increased numbers of fat cells promote inflammation which damages structures in the joint
• Poor muscular condition – weak muscles, that do not provide adequate support to the joint, can lead to poor joint alignment and therefore increased risk of damage to joint structures
• Environmental factors (external influences that can affect health and well-being)

 

Does winter weather really affect feelings of pain in arthritic joints?

We know that environmental factors can contribute to the development or severity of osteoarthritis in dogs, but are changes in the weather one such factor?

While there’s no evidence to suggest weather conditions are a direct cause of osteoarthritis developing, it is certainly widely reported by humans with arthritic joints, that symptoms are worse when certain weather conditions are present.

 

Which weather changes make a difference?

In 2016, a review of 12 earlier scientific studies into weather effects on arthritis symptoms in humans was published, and reported:

“Six studies reported association between worsening of arthritic symptoms with cold climatic conditions, however the remaining six studies did not show any convincing suggestion of this association. There was a trend noticed towards worsening pain and stiffness with falling temperature and barometric pressure and increasing humidity in patients with arthritic disease…”

A more recent, wide-ranging study, published in 2019, sought to gain a clearer understanding about the way in which different weather conditions affected pain perception amongst its human participants, and found that: 

“…higher relative humidity and wind speed, and lower atmospheric pressure, were associated with increased pain severity in people with long-term pain conditions. The most significant contribution was from relative humidity…”

So, the scientific evidence to date highlights four key weather factors which have been repeatedly associated with worsening of pain and stiffness:

• Increasing relative humidity (the percentage of water vapour in the air at a given temperature, compared to the maximum possible water vapour capacity of the air at that temperature)
• Decreasing atmospheric (barometric) pressure
• Higher wind speeds
• Colder temperatures

Relative humidity is higher in cold air than warm air; low atmospheric pressure is associated with higher winds and more rainfall, and rain increases relative humidity in the air. It’s safe to say that all of these weather conditions are typically most common during the winter months in the UK!

 

Why do such weather changes increase pain and stiffness in arthritic joints?

• Higher humidity is directly linked to dehydration in the body, and colder weather leads some individuals to drink less and become dehydrated. Decreased fluid within joints reduces shock absorption and lubrication, both of which can lead to joint pain
• Lower atmospheric pressure can cause soft tissues in the body to expand, and since these tissues are contained within the confined space of the body, this places increased pressure on the pain-signal-controlling nerves present in all of the soft tissues inside and outside of the joints, and possibly also on nerves in the exposed bone surfaces within the affected joint
• Synovial fluid increases in viscosity in response to cold weather, and the thicker fluid can restrict a joint’s movement or make the joint stiffer
• Colder temperatures can cause muscles to tighten and stiffen up (due to constriction of blood vessels; less oxygen availability to the muscles, and because individuals may change the way they posture and move i.e. tensing muscles up against the cold), thereby increasing pain in arthritic joints and further restricting their mobility
• When weather conditions make it less pleasant to spend time outdoors, individuals may spend more time indoors doing less activity, leading joints to become more stiff and painful due to lack of movement

 

Does all of this apply to dogs?

Given that osteoarthritis in dogs is widely-accepted as bearing a close resemblance to that in humans (in terms of its root causes, anatomical similarity and disease progression), it is reasonable to assume that dogs experience the same symptomatic effects of weather changes as people do. Indeed, many dog guardians report worsening of their dogs’ observable arthritic symptoms when certain weather conditions are present.

 

How Clinical Canine Massage can help increase your arthritic dog’s comfort and mobility, whatever the weather

While osteoarthritis is diagnosed within a specific joint or joints of your dog’s body, soft tissues (e.g. muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia) throughout your dog’s body can be adversely affected by, and have a negative influence upon the arthritic joint/s.

The application of Clinical Canine Massage to your dog’s body by a professionally-trained practitioner, can directly improve the condition and function of the soft tissues, both in the area of the arthritic joint, and elsewhere in the body (in particular those parts of the body involved with compensatory weight-bearing and movement support), and by doing so, help to reduce joint pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis, and increase your dog’s comfort and freedom of movement.

Clinical Canine Massage:

• Relaxes, mobilises and stretches stiff, tight and adhered soft tissues, which increases blood circulation (improving tissue health through the enhanced delivery of beneficial nutrients and removal of waste products); increases flexibility and range of motion in the tissues (and therefore also the joints), and reduces tissue pain
• Eases out trigger points (‘knots’), which otherwise can cause pain and weakness in muscles
• Breaks down and remodels scar tissue (e.g. from muscle strains), which otherwise reduces flexibility in the soft tissue and increases its vulnerability to re-injury
• Accelerates and optimises repair of injured soft tissues, which reduces/eliminates pain and improves / restores function in the soft tissue itself, and consequently improves its ability to support, rather than contribute to additional stress on and/or loading of, arthritic joints.
• Improves muscle balance/symmetry, which can help to support better alignment of arthritic joints; reduce risk of damage to non-arthritic joints and reduce risk of soft tissue injuries
• Facilitates psychological relaxation

Improving the condition of your dog’s soft tissues and thereby the comfort and mobility of their joints, makes it physically and psychologically easier for your dog to move and in turn, movement helps to keep both the soft tissues and the joints in better condition.

Massage could prove even more beneficial for dogs who do not like to go outdoors in inclement weather conditions, and/or who experience greater pain when exposed to certain weather conditions outside. Specific massage techniques, facilitated stretching, and passive range of motion exercises, can replicate aspects of exercise which help to keep soft tissues in healthy, functional condition, while allowing your dog to remain indoors in a climate-controlled environment.

Dogs with osteoarthritis benefit from massage provided by professionally-trained Canine Massage Guild therapists all year round, but it might be that they’re just that little bit more grateful for the increased comfort that Clinical Canine Massage can provide on those cold, wet and windy days of winter!

 

About the Author

Sara Alan-Smith is a member of the Canine Massage Guild and runs Complete Canine Massage Therapy based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. To find out more and get in touch with Sara, visit www.completecaninemassage.co.uk 

 

 

 

About the Canine Massage Guild

After 10 years, the Canine Massage Guild continues to lead the way with a network of highly skilled Clinical Canine Massage Therapists based around the country. We specialise in soft tissue rehabilitation and provide chronic pain management for orthopaedic conditions.

In clinical trials with Winchester University, which studied the efficacy of the Lenton Method®, 95% of dogs responded positively to clinical canine massage therapy. Available here, as published in ‘Vet Record’ by the British Veterinary Association.

Providing results you can see and your dog can feel!

 

To find your local Canine Massage Guild practitioner, visit https://www.k9-massageguild.co.uk/therapistregister/