If you have hypermobility, winter in Ireland can feel like your joints got together and decided to complain more loudly. You’re moving less, it’s colder, daylight is scarce, and suddenly aches that felt manageable in summer are far more noticeable. While research doesn’t show that cold weather directly worsens hypermobility itself, there is growing evidence that the changes in activity and routine that tend to come with winter can significantly influence symptoms — particularly in people whose joints rely heavily on muscular support.
Hypermobility means your joints move through a greater-than-average range. While this can be helpful in activities like dance, gymnastics, or yoga, it often comes with a trade-off: your joints depend more on muscles for stability. Research consistently shows that physical activity and targeted physiotherapy reduce pain and improve function in people with hypermobility spectrum disorders and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. When activity levels drop — as they often do during winter — that muscular support can quietly weaken, leaving joints feeling less controlled, more achy, and more prone to flare-ups.
Winter also tends to coincide with lower vitamin D levels, particularly in Ireland, where sunlight is limited for much of the year. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased pain sensitivity, fatigue, reduced muscle strength, and poorer physical function — all of which are particularly unhelpful for someone with hypermobility. Combine this with longer periods of sitting, fewer incidental steps, and a natural reluctance to move unless absolutely necessary (the sofa becomes very persuasive), and you have a perfect recipe for creeping aches and stiffness.
Even in people without hypermobility, research in musculoskeletal health shows that reduced movement is linked with increased stiffness and pain. For those with hypermobile joints, this effect can be amplified. The muscles that provide subtle, ongoing joint support respond best to regular, consistent use — not long periods of rest followed by sudden bursts of activity when spring finally arrives.
Cold weather itself doesn’t damage joints, but it can influence how the body feels. Colder temperatures may increase muscle stiffness and alter circulation, which can heighten pain perception. Large studies examining arthritis and back pain show mixed results on weather and pain, but they highlight an important point: pain is influenced by the nervous system as much as by tissues. In winter, when people are less active, more fatigued, and under-stimulated, the nervous system can become more sensitive — making aches feel louder, sharper, and more persistent.
This is where physiotherapy becomes particularly important. At BodyRight Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists have a special interest in hypermobility and extensive experience supporting babies, children, teenagers, and adults with hypermobile joints. We regularly see that symptoms improve not through aggressive strengthening, but through careful retraining of how muscles activate, support, and coordinate around joints. The aim is not to “lock things down,” but to build confidence, control, and endurance in a way that feels achievable — even on cold February mornings.
Our strong Pilates background provides an ideal foundation for this approach. Pilates-based rehabilitation focuses on subtle control, breathing, and functional support — exactly what hypermobile bodies need. It’s adaptable, enjoyable, and far less intimidating than being told to “just strengthen everything” (which rarely ends well). Research supports this graded, movement-based approach: people with hypermobility consistently do better with active rehabilitation than with rest or passive treatments alone.
So while winter itself isn’t causing hypermobility, it can quietly set the stage for symptoms to creep in. Less movement, stiffer muscles, reduced support, and a sensitised nervous system are a perfect combination for joints to start grumbling. The good news is that with the right guidance, winter doesn’t have to mean months of discomfort.
At BodyRight Physiotherapy, we help people of all ages understand their hypermobility, stay active safely, and build lasting support in their bodies — whatever the season.
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