Living with arthritis is not easy since it can be quite debilitating and cannot be cured fully. Since the condition is so common, you may want to ensure that wherever you live, you can find decent medical support. But there are certain American cities to avoid for arthritis patients, due to their poor environmental conditions and lack of healthcare facilities to provide the required medical attention. Here are some of the top 5 cities below.

1. Tupelo, Mississippi
North Mississippi gets hit with blizzards and even snowstorms in the thick of winters. While these cold spells may be far and few in between, they can have an adverse effect on its arthritis-suffering population. Patients claim their symptoms aggravate during the cold season due to shifts in the barometric pressure, especially during the snowstorm season!

2. Wichita, Kansas
Over the years, Kansas has borne witness to a 1.1% increase in the number of arthritis patients. Some of it can be attributed to its geographical location in the middle of the country that attracts very cold winters and hot and humid summers. The extreme weather conditions can spell doom for people with arthritis. During the humid season, they may experience stiffness in the joints. At the same time, the cold weather too can increase joint pain.

3. Savannah, Georgia
While Georgia does not fall in the intense winter zone, the frigid rains are no better for arthritis patients. The wet days can often increase the risk of arthritis-related pain in its residents. CDC recommends people to incorporate healthy lifestyle habits such as a food elimination diet and some form of physical activity to reduce the agonizing arthritic episodes.

4. Memphis, Tennessee
It is not the first time that joint pain has been associated with changes in the weather. People with arthritis have often complained about their symptoms getting worse on humid days. Certain weather changes, such as humidity, can cause stiffness in joints, aching, and perpetual soreness. Some patients even claim that they feel like their body can predict the rain or cold. Some theories explain that when the cartilages wear out, the nerves get exposed and the bones are able to pick on barometric pressure changes! Summers in Memphis can be brutal with very hot and humid days. The winters, on the other hand, can be cold and wet. Both of these situations are known to be bad for arthritis patients.

5. Montgomery, Alabama
Constant changes in the weather have an undeniable effect on people suffering from arthritis. That being said, Montgomery’s temperate climate with hot summers, cold winters, and wet monsoons, can together exacerbate the condition’s symptoms. When the air pressure drops, it can make your tendons and muscles expand and contract, pain in your joints. Moreover, a decrease in physical activity due to unpredictable weather too can affect the symptoms. Thus, it makes it to the list of American cities to avoid for arthritis patients.