A gout is a form of arthritis which is inflammatory and painful and usually affects the toe. It forms when your body has a high level of uric acid. It can develop in any joint especially in one or both of the knees and can cause knee pain. This form of arthritis caused by crystals that form in and around the knee joint. When gout affects the knee it can make everyday movements uncomfortable and painful, you may also use Compression sleeves for this.
Gout is more common in men than in women. Over 30 age people are most likely to have gout. Women become more susceptible to gout after menopause. Gout occurs in people who have a high level of uric acid in their blood. An attack of gout can occur suddenly, in the middle of the night, one might feel the sensation of fire on the big toe.
Symptoms of Gout
Gout is often unpredictable. You might go weeks and months without any symptoms. You might feel a burning pain in your knee on waking up. In some cases, gout starts out in one of your big toes before your knees. Urate crystals can build up in the joint. These tiny, hard and sharp crystals can rub against the soft lining of the joint and can cause a lot of pain, swelling and inflammation.
During the attack of gout, the joint can become very painful, red, hot, tender and swollen. The skin over the joint can become shiny and may peel off a little as the attack settle. Gout attacks usually come during night suddenly. The affected joint get very painful after the attack that it cannot bear the weight of a sock or even a bedsheet.
Other gout symptoms include severe, a sudden attack of pain, redness, and swelling in the joints. The pain is severe almost unbearable and fever can make it even worse. Sometimes the affected joint is tender, hot and swollen that it cannot even bear the weight of a sheet. Symptoms may come and go but there are many ways to prevent flares and manage symptoms.
Moreover, there are some other symptoms of gout which occurs at night. They include:
- Lingering Discomfort: joint discomfort may last from a few days to some weeks. Later attacks may last longer and affect the joint more.
- Joint inflammation: affected joints may become tender, swollen, warm and red.
- Limited motion range: with the progress of gout the daily movements become limited.
Causes of Gout
Gout is caused by a build-up of a substance called uric acid in the blood. The human body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines. Our body cells have compounds in it. The several types of food like red meat, sugar-sweetened drinks and some kind of seafood you eat have purines in them.
Usually, uric acid passes through the kidneys and help eliminate extra uric acid in the urine. But sometimes there is so much uric acid in your kidneys to handle.
In some cases, the kidneys can’t process the typical amounts of uric acid because of an underlying condition. This result as more uric acid circulating throughout the body and end up as uric acid crystals in the knees. These crystals can cause the joints to become painful, swollen and inflamed.
There are many other things that can increase the chances of gout in your body, they include:
- Sometimes it can be genetic, having a close relative with gout can also cause the same problem to you.
- High blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes can also be the reasons for gout.
- Chronic kidney diseases can also lead to gout.
- Drinking too much alcohol.
- Eating foods that can cause the build-up of uric acids, such as meat and seafood.
Treatment for Gout
Gout can be curable with a combination of medications and some home remedies. There are two main parts of treating gout, one is treating the acute attack and the other treatment is to prevent future attacks. To help knee pain because of gout and to reduce the number of flare-ups here are some treatments mentioned below.
Medication
Treating the attack of gout does not lower the urate level or can stop future attacks. It helps to manage the symptoms and preventing more attacks in the future. Medications that lower the uric acid is intended to prevent more gout attacks in the future and keep the condition from becoming chronic. Taking the medication can drop your uric acid level down. And sticking to the treatment can prevent future attacks.
Gout can be controlled by NSAID (no steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) tablets that can help with pain and reduce the inflammation. NSAIDs are not suitable for everyone and can cause a problem to the digestive system so you must consult your doctor before starting any kind of medications. NSAIDs medications can immediately give relief from gout pain.
Home Remedies
One of the most effective ways to manage the gout is to limit the intake of purine-rich food and drinks. Break down of purine cause the production of uric acid in the body. Consuming less red meat, seafood particularly tuna, trout, and scallops, drinking less alcohol and sugary drinks. Cutting out these type of foods may also contribute to weight loss. Knee pain relief of gout is possible without medication.
You can use cold packs if your pain is not too bad. Compress the affected area with cold packs to lower the inflammation and soothe the ache.
Reduce your daily movements to prevent the pain from getting worse. Raise your joint on a pillow or a soft object.
The uric acid level gets higher when your body is running out of water. Stay hydrated to keep the uric acid level normal.
To avoid knee pain because of gout you must watch what you eat and drink.
Try to relax as stress can aggravate gout.
Gout Prevention Tips
There are many lifestyles and dietary guidelines that can be tried to protect against flares and prevent knee pain because of gout.
- Avoid alcohol
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Maintain a high fluid intake
Outlook of Gout
Gout is a chronic condition with no cure. Many people with gout find a combination of medication and lifestyle changes to be effective. Keeping an eye on it for some time can make the knee pain because of gout go. The wide availability of relevant medications, gout is a controllable form of arthritis.