Learning About the Early Signs of Gout and How to Manage the Pain Associated With It

Learning About the Early Signs of Gout and How to Manage the Pain Associated With It

Did you know that gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis? Once you get afflicted with this condition, you might wake up in the middle of the night disturbed by an intense pain in your big toe or other joints. It’s usually the first 24 hours of attack that is worse and if you do not do anything to manage the pain, then you’re in for a very long night.

What are the Signs of Gout?

Similar to other medical conditions, it definitely pays to learn what causes gout in the first place. Basically, this is a complex form of arthritis which occurs when urate crystals form around the joints. The crystallization is caused by the body having high levels of uric acid.

If you haven’t been to the doctor yet, you might not have any idea of whether you have high uric acid levels or not. However, there are a few physical manifestations that will appear as signs of gout, which includes the following:

Redness, inflammation or intense pain around the joints.

Swelling of the big toe which is the most commonly affected area – but it can also extend to your feet, hands, knees, wrists, ankles or elbows.

Lingering pain and discomfort in the affected area.

Managing the Pain Associated with Gout

Once you experience any of the aforementioned signs of gout, how are you supposed to manage the pain? As mentioned earlier, gout is caused by the formation of urate crystals around the joints and this is in turn caused by high levels of uric acid in the body.

So what causes the uric acid level in your body to increase in the first place? Just as it is with any other medical condition, the signs of gout will appear if you will not pay close attention to your diet. Consuming foods which have high purine levels is one of the main causes of gout.

Once a doctor diagnoses that you are indeed suffering from gout, you will be given prescription medication to reduce the swelling and manage the pain. It’s also a good idea to steer clear of consuming foods which have high purine levels like red meat, game, poultry and seafood. You should also increase your water intake to flush out the toxins and decrease the levels of uric acid in your body.

By learning what the signs of gout are, you can recognize the symptoms early and address the issue accordingly so that you wouldn’t have to suffer from the pain associated with this complex form of arthritis.