Home remedies for gout pain

Joint pain due to chronic diseases like arthritis and gout can reduce your quality of life and can make you dependent on others.

Gout is a form of arthritis which involves joint stiffness, and pain and swelling in the joints. Gout occurs due to the collection of uric acid crystals in the joints and kidney. It can be managed by early diagnosis.

There is no definitive medical treatment for gout but the pain and swelling can be managed at home with the help of drug therapy, heat therapy and cold therapy.

One needs to be cautious while using any of these therapies and must take advice from their doctor beforehand, especially in the case of drug therapy.

Types of therapy for gout pain
How to use lemon juice for gout pain relief
Effect of apple cider vinegar on gout pain
Gout pain relief by using ginger
Turmeric for high uric acid levels in blood
Bananas for gout pain
Avoid fish and red meat to reduce pain of gout
Takeaways

Doctors for Home remedies for gout pain

Types of therapy for gout pain

In addition to certain foods which are good for people with high uric acid in their bodies, there are three therapies which can help relieve your joint pain at home:

Pharmacotherapy: Pharmacotherapy, also known as drug therapy, is the therapy where medications are used to treat a disease. Over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen and paracetamol seldom work for gout pain. Your doctor may prescribe medications like etoricoxib, naproxen, piroxicam and indomethacin for relieving pain related to gout.
Heat therapy: Heat therapy, medically called thermotherapy, involves the application of heat in various forms which helps in improving the elasticity of collagen tissues, decreases the stiffness in the joints, relieves pain and muscle spasms, reduces inflammation and edema, increases blood flow and promotes faster healing.
Cold therapy: Cold therapy, medically called cryotherapy, involves the application of cold compressions over the affected areas which helps in reducing edema and inflammation, reduces pain and muscle spasm, reduces the activity of the nerve that is causing pain and reduces the temperature of that area.

Read more: High Uric Acid in the Blood

Types of heat therapy for pain relief

There are different types of heat therapy that can be done at home and which can be useful for reducing gout pain:

Hot bath: A hot bath or emersion of the affected body part in hot water can help in improving the blood circulation.
Hot water bottle: Bottles made of PVC/rubber are filled up with hot water and are used to provide hot compression to the affected areas.
Heat wraps and patches: Wraps and patches that provide constant warmth can be worn or placed over the affected area.
Heated gel packs: Packs filed with hot gel can be placed over the affected areas.
Electric heating pad: These electric pads are filled with a gel and have a battery to heat them up when you plug the pads into an electric supply. Just like hot water bottles, these electric heating pads can be placed on the affected area to give hot compression.

Cold therapy for gout pain

These are the different type of cold therapies that can be done at home:

Ice cubes: You can apply ice cubes wrapped in a towel to the affected area.
Cold gel packs: Gel packs can be refrigerated and then placed over the affected area.
Coolant spray: Non medicated coolant sprays help in relieving swelling.
Cryo cuff: Cryo cuff is a method of cold compress. Just like the cuff in a blood pressure machine, the cryo cuff can be wrapped around the affected area.

Precautions of heat and cold therapy for gout relief

Follow the measures written below while applying heat and cold therapy:

The heat pack should be comfortably warm and not burning hot as it can burn your skin as well.
Do not apply cold packs to your joints for too long as they can make the joints numb and increase the chances of injury or overuse.
Do not apply the hot or cold compressions for more than 20 minutes at a time.
If you wish to repeat the compressions, wait for some time till the skin gets back to its normal temperature.
Do not use creams along with heat and cold compressions as this can lead to burns.

How to use lemon juice for gout pain relief

A study conducted to see the effects of lemon juice on the levels of uric acid in gout patients showed it can reduce the levels of serum uric acid in the body within six weeks. This helped in reducing the gout pain in these patients. It further improved the levels of serum creatinine and GFR (glomerular filtration rate), which means the kidneys were working well, too.

Here's how you can use lemon juice for pain relief:

Ingredients:

Freshly squeezed juice of two lemons
Two litres of drinking water

Method:

Add the lemon juice to two litres of water.
Sip this throughout the day.
Do this every day for at least six weeks.

Effect of apple cider vinegar on gout pain

There is no certain proof that apple cider vinegar improves gout pain. Apple cider vinegar helps in reducing the inflammation present in the body, thus, can indirectly help in reducing the inflammation in the painful joints.

Gout pain relief by using ginger

In many studies, scientists have compared the effectiveness of ginger to that of ibuprofen (a painkiller). A study conducted in an elderly hospice in Indonesia stated that the regular use of red ginger can help in reducing pain and inflammation associated with gout.

Read more: Ginger for arthritis

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Turmeric for high uric acid levels in blood

Turmeric is rich in curcumin which is an active anti-inflammatory agent and can help in reducing the inflammation of the joints affected by gout. A study done on mice showed that nanoparticles of turmeric have the potential to reduce the levels of serum uric acid in the body, thus reducing the pain.

Bananas for gout pain

Bananas have a low purine content so they do not add up to the uric acid levels in the blood. They are also rich in vitamin C and thus can help with cutting down the uric acid. Fruits like bananas, apples, berries should be eaten in moderation if you have high uric acid in the blood or gout.

Avoid fish and red meat to reduce pain of gout

Red meat and seafood - particularly shellfish, scallops, mussels, herring, mackerel and coldwater fish like tuna, salmon and trout, contains a high amount of purine in them which has the ability to turn into uric acid. Thus fish should be avoided if you have gout as it can increase your uric acid levels and pain.

Takeaways

The pain of gout can be debilitating. But some home remedies like hot compress, the application of cold compress and including anti-inflammatory foods like ginger and turmeric in the diet can help in pain management.

People with arthritis and gout should also do light exercises daily, to maintain joint mobility and range of motion. All this should be done in addition to taking the medicines prescribed by your doctor.