Listed among the most painful medical conditions one can experience is the gout attack.
These attacks can strike at any time without mercy.
The duration of a gout attack can range from a couple of hours to as much as a couple of weeks.
For this reason it is no wonder that this medical condition can wreck havoc on your life.
If you already have gout your first experience probably seemed like it was straight out of a horror movie.
Like most scary horror characters they first attack in the middle of the night.
Often so too is the case of a sudden gout attack.
You awake to a throbbing big toe that is swollen beyond belief.
The intense pain makes you want to cry and seems to go on forever.
Gout also affects other areas of the body.
These can include the ankles, mid-foot, heals, knees, and other less common areas.
Inflammation can spread to the area surrounding the joint such as the skin and tendons.
A fever or chills may also occur in some instances.
If a you are experiencing one of these painful gout attacks what can you do to help alleviate the pain? What specific steps can you take to shorten the length of the attack and lower the level of pain you are experiencing? You should try and drink lots of water during an attack.
The more hydrated you are the better equipped your body is in dealing with the excess build up of uric acid.
Elevate the affected area.
By doing so you can help reduce the blood flow.
The flow of white blood cells to the affected area can cause an increase in inflammation as the body tries to combat the situation.
When someone typically has pain in their joints they think of using a heating pad or an ice pack.
Unfortunately, both of these can have a negative impact on the amount of pain you experience during a gout attack.
Heat increases circulation which as stated in the previous paragraph can increase the level of inflammation you experience.
An ice pack on the other hand can assist in the formation of uric acid crystals.
The crystallization or uric acid is the root cause of your problem.
So avoiding both of these would be advised.
If you do choose to use an ice pack be sure to use it only for short periods of time.
If your attack is located in the foot or knees then try and limit the amount of walking that you do.
Normal walking and standing cause a large amount of stress on these areas.
If you have to move about then be sure to wear shoes that are comfortable and have lots of toe room.
Other that that you need to really be thinking about how you can prevent future attacks from occurring.
As time goes on gout attacks seem to progress becoming more painful and lasting for longer periods of time.