Why Weather Hurts: The Science Behind the “October Slide” in Chronic Pain

Christie at Journey2Joyous
Oct 25
3 min read

If you’ve ever sworn you could predict the weather better than your weather app, you’re not alone. Many people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and other connective tissue disorders notice their symptoms flare when the seasons (or weather systems shift)—especially during what patients call the October Slide.

So what’s actually happening when your joints ache, your head throbs, or your body feels “heavier” just before a storm? The answer lies in barometric pressure, the weight of the air pressing down on us at all times.

TL:DR

When pressure falls, tissues expand causing joints to ache, nerves to complain, and migraines spike.
When pressure rises, some feel relief, others get sinus or tension pain.

Think of Your Body Like a Water Bottle on an Airplane

When a plane takes off, the air pressure outside the bottle drops, and the bottle expands. When it lands, the bottle shrinks again. Your soft tissues—muscles, fascia, blood vessels, and joints—work much the same way. They’re flexible, not fixed.

When barometric pressure drops before a storm, the soft tissues in your body can expand slightly. That expansion may increase tension in pain-sensitive areas like joints, tendons, and nerves. When the pressure rises again, those tissues contract. People with hypermobility or EDS feel these shifts more dramatically because their connective tissue is more elastic and their joints less stable.

Our soft tissues (joint capsules, tendons, fascia) aren’t rigid much like that water bottle, so pressure shifts can slightly change blood and fluid balance and tension in and around joints and nerves. In people with connective-tissue laxity (like hEDS/HSD), those tiny changes can be felt more strongly, sometimes as pain, stiffness, “heaviness,” or headaches. Clinical research has repeatedly linked barometric swings with more osteoarthritis pain and headaches/migraines (even small drops of 6–10 hPa), although individuals vary and not every study agrees.

Understanding Why It Hurts

Research backs up what patients have long reported: small changes in barometric pressure can trigger pain. Studies have found correlations between falling pressure and increased joint pain in osteoarthritis, headaches, and migraines. Even a drop of just 6–10 hPa can be enough to cause symptoms for some people.

Falling pressure: tends to make joints swell, muscles ache, and migraines spike.
Falling pressure (before/around storms): lower external pressure lets tissues around joints expand a bit, which can raise pressure inside the joint and around nerves leading to more joint aching/stiffness; it also commonly triggers headaches/migraines for some people and surrounding nerves get more sensitized. Many studies tie low or dropping pressure to increased pain.
Rising pressure: can bring relief for some—but for others, it causes sinus pressure or tension headaches.
Rapid swings in either direction: often lead to fatigue, stiffness, or a “flare” feeling, especially in autumn when weather fronts roll through quickly.

Why October Feels Worse

Fall’s rollercoaster weather—cool nights, warm days, and storm fronts sweeping through—creates rapid pressure swings. Patients often nickname this stretch the October Slide because it coincides with a noticeable dip in energy, mood, and pain tolerance. There isn’t an EDS-specific trial for October itself; this is a patient-observed pattern layered on top of the broader barometric-pain research. (EDS folks may notice it more due to joint laxity, co-occurring migraine, dysautonomia, and mast-cell sensitivity.) PMC

What Helps

Track your local barometric pressure and note symptom patterns. Use the free app Weather X to monitor weather and barometric pressure changes
Stay warm and hydrated. Warmth helps ease muscle tension and hydration keeps fluid balance steady.
Gentle movement (stretching, walking, Pilates) supports circulation and reduces stiffness.
Compression and layers can provide extra joint stability when tissues feel “swollen” from pressure drops.
Plan pacing—schedule rest around expected storm days if you know you’re sensitive.