Q. Is it just my imagination that my knee hurts more when it rains?

This is something we hear often with knee osteoarthritis.

• The pain is worse when it rains or turns cold
• There is a prickling ache and the knee feels swollen
• Going up and down stairs is hard
• The knee makes a noise on straightening and bending
• The knee is stiff and painful
• Walking is uncomfortable, so the gait changes

We pay particular attention to the last one. When a painful knee changes the gait, that load travels up to the pelvis and lower back, and comes back down to the knee again. So we do not look at the knee alone; we measure the gait alongside.