As I was stumbling around my apartment last night–I keep it rather cold–I stubbed my toe. In the midst of my swearing, I noticed it hurt a lot more than usual. And I remembered the halcyon days of my youth, playing football on the playground, and I remembered that while a zinger of a throw might sting some, in the cold it hurts like crazy. So why does the temperature make it hurt more?
Two thoughts, both related to the fact heat expands and cold contracts.
First, any object, like a football, is likely to feel harder in the snow and cold, because the surface condenses slightly. There’s not the give there is when a surface is warm.
Second, this is moer speculative, but I would think nerve endings would also tend to get that way, contracting slightly.It explains why an older person’s arthritis will act up, telling them when it’s going to rain, etc.
Remember ever swinging a bat in the cold? Ouch.
Oooh, yea. And I remember playing softball in PE, catching bare-handed. OUCH!