Gout is a type of arthritis that makes your joints hurt and swell a lot. It happens when there’s too much uric acid in your body. Usually, it affects the big toe joint. But it can also hurt other joints like knees, ankles, feet, hands, wrists, and elbows.
When you have gout, you might have times when your joint hurts a ton. These times are called “flares” or “gout attacks. Your joint can get swollen, red, and hot. Flares can last for a few days or a few weeks. They can be very painful.
Who Gets Painful Swollen Joints?
Many people experience swollen joints. It’s more common in men than in women. Especially as they get older. Women typically do not experience it until after menopause. So, they are frequently older when it happens. Sometimes, younger people also have swollen joints. But it’s often more severe when they do.
Key Strategies.
If you are controlling gout, it means using both medicine and changing how you live to lower the uric acid in your body. And make g-out attacks happen less frequently and be less severe. Here are some important ways to control gout:
- Medications
Sometimes doctors give you medicine to help with gout. These medicines can help control the pain and stop g-out from happening again. They might give you pills like ibuprofen, colchicine, or other medicines that lower the stuff in your body that causes gout.
- Diet and Lifestyle Changes
Changing what you eat and how you live can help manage gout. You should avoid certain foods like red meat, shellfish, and some kinds of fish because they can make gout worse. Drinking less alcohol, especially beer and hard liquor, can also help. It’s good to exercise and drink lots of water to stay healthy and keep g-out away.
- Monitoring and Prevention
It’s important to keep an eye on your body’s levels of certain things that cause gout. Your doctor will tell you what tests you need and what medicines to take to prevent gout from coming back. Also, it’s good to know what things might trigger g-out attacks, like certain medicines or not drinking enough water.
- Seeking Medical Advice
If you think you have gout, it’s best to see a doctor as soon as you can. They’ll check you out, maybe do some tests, and make a plan to help you feel better and prevent g-out from bothering you again.
Find the Right Treatment Plan.
Treating gout depends on how often you have it and how bad it is. You and your doctor will decide what’s best for you.
Changes in your lifestyle can help prevent gout attacks. Eating healthier foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, and avoiding too much red meat and alcohol can be good for you. Losing weight can also help.
When you have a gout attack and need to stop the pain fast, your doctor might give you medicines like ibuprofen or naproxen. These can be bought without a prescription, but if you’re under 65 and don’t take blood thinners, you need to be careful. Another medicine your doctor might prescribe is colchicine, but it can make you feel sick. Corticosteroids can also help with the pain, but they have serious side effects.
If you have gout, typically, your doctor might give you drugs to lower the uric acid in your blood. This can help prevent gout attacks and damage to your joints. The usual first choice is allopurinol. Another option is febuxostat, but it can be risky for your heart. Your doctor will set a goal for how much uric acid you should have in your blood and adjust your treatment until you reach that goal.
Last Words:
Gout is a really painful type of arthritis that happens. When there’s too much uric acid in your body, it can make life tough when you are having a flare-up. But there are ways to deal with it. Like taking medicine, changing what you eat, and making lifestyle changes. So, keep an eye on it and get help from a doctor. When needed, it can make things better for people with gout.
