Why does getting hit while cold hurt more?

The short answer

In colder weather, we feel more pain due to our muscles being less flexible and more susceptible to injury, changes in air pressure that can cause our joints to swell, and colder temperatures increase our sensitivity for pain.

The long answer

Let's say someone chucks a tennis ball at you on a hot summer's day.

Ouch.

Six months later on chilly winter's day, that same person strikes you again with a tennis ball (by the way, why do you keep hanging out with them?).

OUCH!

What does colder temperature have to do with increased pain when getting hit? It turns out there are a few reasons why it hurts more to get hit on a colder day.

Reason #1: Cold temperatures cause your muscles to be more prone to injury.

When it gets cold out, your body conserves heat by sending more blood to your central organs. The blood vessels in your arms and legs constrict to reduce blood flow which makes these areas colder and stiffer. Without the additional flexibility that warm blood supplies, your muscles and skin are more prone to damage when they get hit.

Thermal image of a person's hand on a cold day. Source: ​Reddit​

Additionally, cold muscles are naturally less efficient than warm muscles. While warm, your muscles can rely on slow-twitch muscle fibers for aerobic activity and only break out the fast-twitch fibers for quick bursts of power.

But while cold, your muscles need to use both slow- and fast-twitch fibers to generate the same amount of energy, making them weaker. In this weakened state, cold muscles do not have the strength needed to as easily resist injury as warm muscles.

Reason #2: Drops in barometric pressure lead to swelling around your joints.

It's often reported by people with joint issues, like arthritis, that colder weather comes with more aches and pains around their joints. The leading theory for this phenomenon is that colder temperatures cause barometric pressure (i.e. the air pressure of the atmosphere) to decrease.

Source: ​Circuit Basics​

The lower air pressure causes the tissue and fluid around your joints to expand ever so slightly, which puts pressure on the surrounding nerves. Our brains interpret this nerve pressure as pain. So increased pain in colder weather may be due to the impact of lower barometric pressure on our joints.

Reason #3: Cold temperatures increase your perception of pain.

Our bodies require a certain level of pain stimulus to send a pain signal to your brain. Sometimes, the initial pain stimulus doesn't quite meet this threshold and remains unnoticed. However, when you're cold, your nervous system adjusts, lowering this threshold.

This means that what would normally be a bearable sensation in a warm temperature can register as pain in a cold temperature. In other words, the cold adds to the stimuli you are feeling, making your perception of pain more sensitive.

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Sources

Cleveland Clinic. (2021, August 9). Vasoconstriction. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21697-vasoconstriction

Dodgson, L. (2017, January 3). Why pain feels more... well, painful in cold weather. TheJournal.ie. https://www.thejournal.ie/pain-cold-weather-joints-3125410-Jan2017/

Hegde, S. (2023, October 19). Why Do Injuries Hurt More In Cold Weather?. Science ABC. https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-do-injuries-hurt-more-in-cold-weather.html

The Injury Clinic Market Harborough. (2020, November 9). Why do things hurt more in the cold? – and what you can do about it!. The Injury Clinic. https://theinjuryclinicmarketharborough.co.uk/why-do-things-hurt-more-in-the-cold/

Total Performance. (n.d.). Why Does My Sports Injury Hurt More in Winter?. Total Performance Physical Therapy. https://totalperformancept.com/why-does-my-sports-injury-hurt-more-in-winter/