Why does my knee replacement ache when the weather changes?

Last reviewed: September 29, 2026

Nobody knows for certain, and there is no evidence that it means anything is wrong with the implant. Plenty of people with arthritis say their joints feel the weather, and some still do after a knee replacement.

One small study asked knee replacement patients about this directly. Surgery took the weather-related aching away in about half of those who had it beforehand. Others kept it, and some noticed it for the first time after surgery. It was more common in women and in people whose other joints also ached with the weather, which suggests it has as much to do with the person as with the knee. Their knees still worked as well as everyone else’s.

Whether the weather really changes pain is less clear. Across studies of arthritis, cold and damp are the conditions most often linked to more pain. But studies that matched pain flares, or pain after joint replacement, against local weather records found no link. How weather would act on a joint has not been worked out.

In general:

• Aching with the weather is not unusual after a knee replacement and is not a warning sign on its own.
• Aching together with warmth, swelling, redness or fever is not the weather and needs to be seen by your surgeon promptly.
• Pain that keeps getting worse, whatever the weather, is worth reporting.

Drafted with AI assistance from published sources, reviewed and edited by Babak Sheikh, MD.

Sources:

• Tanzer M, et al. Pain in the Forecast: Investigating Weather Sensitivity Before and After Total Knee Arthroplasty. Life (Basel). 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15060847
• Ferreira ML, et al. The Influence of Weather on the Risk of Pain Exacerbation in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis - A Case-Crossover Study. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2016.07.016
• Khan S, et al. Does Weather Have an Influence on Pain in Patients With Arthroplasty? Musculoskeletal Care. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/msc.70104
• Jena AB, et al. Association Between Rainfall and Diagnoses of Joint or Back Pain: Retrospective Claims Analysis. BMJ. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j5326

This is general information about what published research shows. It is not medical advice and it is not about your situation. Reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship with me. I am a retired orthopedic surgeon and I do not see patients. Talk with your own doctor before changing anything about your care. If something feels suddenly or seriously wrong, get medical care promptly rather than waiting.

This page is provided as is. I make no guarantee that it is accurate, complete or current, and medical evidence changes. Use of it is at your own risk.

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