Massage (rub your gout infected area)

[HATEgoutx20]

I know it hurts. . .
but if you do not have anything such as bananas or water to drink and/or cherry juice,
I usually just rub it and pinch it even as it hurts; but afterwards it, the flare does go down or the attack itself calms down.
(Im just throwing this out there just to let you gout people know IF you are anywhere without those things to help, heres something to do just in the meantime.)

[thurstonb]

Wow that's a new one on me. I'm not sure that I would like to try it!

With inflammation there are two things to remember: RICE and HARM

RICE is the stuff you should do for inflammation:
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

HARM is the stuff you should not do:
Heat
Alcohol
Re-injury
Massage

This is stuff taught for first aid / soft tissue injury. But gout is inflammation too, so can be treated similarly.

Now, in saying that - some people swear by heat for the relief of gout. I personally didn't find it useful, but some people do. So it may be the case that some people get benefit from massage

Cheers
Brett

[HATEgoutx20]

dude... the C in RICE is compression. exactly what i had said about rubbing it.... smh

[thurstonb]

Compression is not massage. Compression is placing a tight bandage around the affected area:

From uihealthcare.com/topics/prepareemergencies/prep4922.html
Compression (use of a pressure bandage) also helps to prevent or reduce swelling. Wrap the injured area with an elastic bandage, but not so tightly that the blood is cut off. It should not hurt or throb. Fingers or toes beyond the bandage should remain pink and not become "tingly." The elastic bandage should be taken off every 4 hours and reapplied.

[HATEgoutx20]

aright doc.

[thurstonb]

Just trying to help! I have a lot of experience with soft tissue injuries and swelling and know from experience that the RICE technique works well for those.

When I started to get gout I would use the same RICE methods to get rid of the swelling or reduce the intensity of the pain and it worked really well.

And it's nice and easy to remember!

[HATEgoutx20]

lol k dnt have a heart attack sir.

[GreenToe]

Here is my take on the cold/heat debate. Gout sufferers tend to have poor blood circulation, hence the deposit of uric crystals in our extremities.

Massaging: Massaging a gout affected joint has similar purposes to using the heat treatment. Massaging the joint will enhance blood circulation. When I have the time, I try to massage my gout affected joint. Even while under a gout attack, I find that lightly massaging it and stretching the joint will help alleviate some of the pain, tho it might hurt like hell while your doing it.

Heat: When applied to our bodies, will speed up the flow of blood within our system. What that is good for, is to help remove the deposits that have accumulated in our joints. This is a good method to use on a daily basis while not under a gout attack, but if your under an attack and applying heat to the affected joint, it will only result in more blood being rushed down to the already inflamed joints which for me leads to more excruciating pain.

Cold: When our body is in a cold state, blood flow becomes slower or becomes restricted. When blood flows slower, it leaves more time for the uric acid crystals to deposit itself in our joints instead of being carried thru our bloodstream and them ultimately expelled out of our system. Therefore while applying a cold pack does provide short term relieve to the inflamed joint, cold therapy should not be used in the long term as it can promote the deposits of crystals in our joint.

So I think there is no definitive conclusion as to which is best, but my personal choice is to keep my affect joints warm to help my body expel the crystals. I have noticed that since I have moved to a colder more humid climate, my attacks became more frequent. So I think climate also plays a big factor in our condition. Wish yall the best

[thurstonb]

Hey thanks for chiming in with your thoughts. You've clearly been thinking hard about it.

One thing about the cold too is that a lower temperature actually makes it easier for the uric acid to crystallise in the first place. Some folks argue hard and strong that this is a very good reason to never use cold.

Personally I prefer to try and keep my uric acid levels so low they can't possibly crystallise in the first place

:)