Hundreds of different kinds of arthritis have for long been the leading cause of disability in America. Each type is exclusive in its own way. While some acute arthritis forms are not easily affected by basic factors like humidity, others worsen at the very onset of monsoon. Primarily, there are two critical factors to consider when looking for cities to move to with arthritis – the weather and access to quality medical care.

Here is a list of cities compiled by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) whose weather and natural conditions bring up the worst of pain and distress among patients with arthritis.

1. Provincetown, MA
As a whole, Massachusetts is known for its chilly winters and damp weather for most of the year. Provincetown is recorded to be the wettest town in the state, with an average rainfall of 1079mm, with scattered rain for almost 110 days of the year. The winter months bring about freezing temperatures after the monsoon’s immediate exit, which carries the dampness and coldness onto spring.

The heat and dryness in the summer relatively help ease the stiffness and pain in people with arthritis but still does not make up for the trouble they had been through for the rest of the year. Despite having top qualified doctors in and around the town, the place’s natural conditions can make it quite a difficult place to live in.

2. Picayune, MS
Mississippi is terrible for arthritic patients in both the factors mentioned above. The year-round natural setting of the place is hot and humid. Despite offering the worst of the climate, the state has relatively poor access to doctors and health care when treating chronic arthritis, especially in older patients.

Picayune maintains itself at a constant annual high of 78 degrees and is the hottest city in Mississippi. In a place with such excessive heat and humidity and continuous rainfall collectively for most of the year, people with arthritis never really get a break. There is a high risk of weather-related arthritic pain in the city, which is in no way compensated for by access to adept medical care or qualified doctors in the city.

3. Birmingham, AL
Of the 50 million arthritis patients in America, almost 2 million are originally from Alabama. According to the data from Alabama Behavioral Risk Surveillance System, nearly 33 percent of adults are diagnosed with the condition. Arthritis is more common among people with existing risk factors and symptoms of chronic diseases than in the general population. The constant windy, humid weather does keep a lid on arthritic pain among patients most of the year. Still, the scorching summers can alleviate the sensitivity of joint pains and the severity of arthritic conditions in the patients.

A life controlled by arthritis is an admittedly difficult one, and it gets worse if aggravated by inappropriate living conditions or lack of proper medical care, let alone both. There is no general ideal place for patients to live in, as each form of arthritis is sensitive to some climate or the place’s natural setting. Such chronic conditions will continue to persist regardless of the temperature and climate unless people start putting in the time to work upon themselves, taking a few extra minutes for some form of physical activity wherever they have settled in.