What to do if the pain of a gout attack is unbearable Tips for quick relief
Gout is more common in men, and the hallux is the most commonly affected area, where 50%~70% of the initial onset occurs. 90% of patients with gout will have first metatarsophalangeal joint involvement at some point in their lives. Gout is a very common disease in clinical practice, and if the symptoms of gout cannot be detected in time, it will bring a lot of inconvenience and impact to patients.
What can we do in the face of gout and rule out drug control? When you have a gout attack, here are six ways to help relieve your pain.
How to relieve a gout attack
1. Local cold compress
When gout attacks, ice packs or ice mineral water can be used to cool the painful joints for 20~30 minutes. Cold compresses can reduce local inflammation and pain.
Be careful not to apply hot compresses or soak your feet in hot water, as the temperature will increase inflammation, edema, and pain.
Local cold compress can temporarily reduce the pain, and at the same time, friends with gout report that it is more painful after cold compress. Therefore, it is best to decide whether to apply cold compresses according to your own situation.
2. Drink plenty of water
Drink more water to produce more urine, take away more uric acid, and prevent urinary tract stones. The average daily urine output of normal people is about 1.5L, and for friends with gout, they should ensure that they drink more than 2L of water per day. Low-calorie, alkaline drinks are very suitable for gout patients, such as soda. Of course, friends who don't like sparkling water can also choose plain water and weak tea.
3. Elevate the lower limbs
During a gout attack, edema usually occurs in the painful area, so the principle of "water goes low" can be used to elevate the lower limbs to reduce edema. For example, put a pillow under your feet when you go to bed and shorten your standing time when you get out of bed.
4. Don't torture yourself with shoes
When a gout attack occurs, the joints are sore and swollen, and wearing a pair of shoes can make it even worse. If you have to move around, be sure to wear a pair of loose shoes.
5. Divert attention
Some friends lie still when they have a gout attack, and everyone understands this pain. But if you lie still in bed and only think about the pain in your joints, and you are completely immersed in it, the pain will be obvious.
6. Control your diet
There are two things that need to be done to control the diet, one is to abstain from alcohol, and the other is to reduce the intake of high-purine foods. The intake of alcohol and high purines will increase uric acid and affect the control of gout.
Precautions for suffering from gout
1. Mainly alkaline food
Uric acid dissolves easily in an alkaline environment, so you should eat more alkaline foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and milk. In the acute attack period, 1~1.5 kg of vegetables can be eaten per day, or an appropriate amount of fruits. You can adopt a cyclical plant-based diet, such as cucumber day, watermelon day, apple day, etc., twice a week with an interval of 3 days. The intake of vitamin B and vitamin C should also be increased, as large amounts of vitamin B and vitamin C can promote the dissolution of urate accumulated in tissues.
2. Limit the total daily heat energy
Gout patients should control their weight, reduce their daily total calories by 10%~15% compared with normal people, and do not eat too many snacks or too much at each meal. However, the heat should be gradually reduced, and excessive weight loss can cause ketoacidosis, which can precipitate an acute attack of gout. In severe cases, plant protein should be the main source of energy, and carbohydrates should be the main source of energy.
3. Limit purine intake
It should be controlled to less than 150 mg per day. Within 2~3 days of the acute attack period, choose foods with little or no purines, and prohibit foods with very high purine content. In the chronic phase, at least two days a week should be completely treated with little or no purine food, and the rest of the days should be a low-purine diet (choose one food with less purine content, and the other should be basically non-purine food; Or choose a food with a high purine content, and use other non-purine food).
4. Drink water frequently and never get drunk
Sufficient water is conducive to the excretion of uric acid, it is recommended to drink more than 3000 ml of water every day, and pay attention to hydration at night. Alcohol reduces the ability of the kidneys to excrete uric acid, and beer also contains a lot of purines, which should be absolutely prohibited. Also avoid other foods that can excite the nerves, such as strong tea, coffee and spicy condiments.
5. Promote blood circulation
You can also take hot baths or soak your feet in hot water frequently to promote blood circulation and increase uric acid excretion.
6. Take traditional Chinese medicine
Combined with the use of traditional Chinese medicine that steadily lowers uric acid and inhibits uric acid, it prevents and treats recurrence in the future. Some patients are taking gout acid excretion capsules to inhibit uric acid, this medicine itself also has the dual protective function of lowering uric acid and the kidneys, Chinese medicine is very mild, and the use of such Chinese medicine has the recovery of the body.
In the treatment of gout, special attention should be paid to the stabilization of uric acid. Since gout is a complication that occurs when the blood uric acid rises to a certain level, even if the joint pain improves, it does not mean that the gout has been cured. Because gout is generally more severe than one attack at a time, the blow to the kidneys is greater, especially to protect the kidneys.