Lifestyle Tips for Managing Gout

Gout isn’t a topic that’s discussed often, but over 9 million people suffer from it. What is gout? It’s a type of arthritis that often attacks suddenly, in the middle of the night. Although gout can affect your feet, ankles, knees, and fingers, half of all attacks target the big toe joint. 

The extraordinary team at Premier Foot & Ankle, with nine convenient Texas locations, provides a wide range of services, but gout diagnosis and treatment is an area of special expertise. Our goal is to have you worry less about gout attacks and enjoy a better quality of life, without gout getting in the way.

How does gout develop?

Purines are substances found in food as well as manufactured by your body. When you digest purines through food consumption, your body must metabolize them. Your body also processes the purines you produce naturally. 

Uric acid is the byproduct created from the processing of purines. Typically, your body reabsorbs about 90% of this uric acid, with the rest being expelled through your waste. If your body becomes unable to keep up with processing those purines, you wind up with excessive amounts of uric acid accumulating in your bloodstream — a condition known as hyperuricemia. 

Hyperuricemia can lead to kidney stones as well as gout, and you can also have the condition but exhibit no symptoms. 

Other gout risk factors include living with obesity, medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease, and in some people, a traumatic injury can prompt an attack. There’s also a genetic component to gout, so if your family members have suffered with gout, you’re more likely to as well. 

Gout’s unique agony

Gout attacks seem to come from nowhere, and when they do come, they’re unmistakable. Unfortunately, you’re usually asleep when a flare-up arrives, and symptoms include:

• Severe joint pain
• A hot feeling at your affected joint
• Redness

Your gout-affected joint can also feel so hypersensitive that even the brush of something on your joint can feel excruciating. 

Are there effective treatments for gout?

Fortunately, there are interventions that relieve gout pain and discomfort. Before you get to the treatment phase, your doctor researches your condition fully by talking to you about your symptoms and medical history at length, ordering imaging tests, and administering lab tests in order to arrive at an accurate diagnosis. 

Your doctor may prescribe one or a combination of these treatments to provide relief:

• Medications that reduce uric acid levels
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) 
• Prescription pain medications
• Steroid medications

If you visit us while suffering a gout attack, we get your symptoms under control with treatment, but your doctor also talks to you about lifestyle habits you can adopt to prevent a gout attack from happening in the first place. These include:

• Drinking plenty of water and staying well-hydrated
• Losing weight
• Avoiding certain medications
• Lowering consumption of drinks with sweeteners and alcoholic beverages
• Avoiding purine-rich foods like red meat, shellfish, and organ meats
• Favoring complex carbohydrates, low-fat dairy foods, and fresh produce

Some research points to the fact that both cherries and coffee may be helpful in preventing gout. 

By teaming up with your doctor to fight your gout, you can improve your chances of experiencing fewer attacks. Call the Premier Foot & Ankle office most convenient to you to schedule an appointment if you have gout symptoms, or book one online today.