Tips for Working Out when You Have Gout

Gout is a form of arthritis once called the disease of kings, because only royalty could afford the rich meats and wine that seemed to lead to its development. 

Like the rest of the more than 100 forms of arthritis, gout causes inflammation in the joints, but the underlying cause differs from the more common forms: osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear of joint cartilage) and rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune response). 

Gout is the result of the buildup of uric acid crystals in the joint space, which causes painful inflammation that usually starts in the big toe.

At Chicagoland Foot and Ankle, our team of board-certified foot and ankle specialists diagnoses and treats gout and other podiatric conditions at our offices in and around Chicago, Illinois. 

Because gout isn’t as well known as other forms of arthritis and because if you have arthritis you should continue to exercise, our team put together this guide to tips for working out when you have gout.

The development of gout

Your body creates uric acid when it breaks down purines — naturally occurring compounds found in the body as well as in certain types of foods. Normally, your kidneys filter uric acid out of your blood and flush it from your system through urine. 

But if you consume high levels of purines or if your kidneys can’t remove the added load of uric acid effectively, the waste builds up and deposits needle-like uric acid crystals in the joint space.

Gout can target any joint in your body, but for some reason, about 50% of first-time attacks affect the big toe.

Certain foods, drinks, and medications can raise your body’s uric acid levels, leading to gout flare-ups. These include:

• Red and organ meats
• Shellfish
• Too much alcohol
• Sugary drinks
• Fructose-high foods
• Low-dose aspirin
• Some diuretics (water pills)
• Immunosuppressants for organ transplants 

Other risk factors include hypertension, diabetes, and/or chronic stress.

Once the crystals build up in the joint, white blood cells from the immune system move into the area, leading to inflammation, severe pain, and chronic disease. If uric acid crystals deposit in the urinary tract, they cause kidney stones.

Gout flare-ups

Gout causes sudden symptom flares, often in the middle of the night. They include:

• Intense joint pain, especially for first 4-12 hours
• Joint inflammation
• Swelling and tenderness
• Redness around the joint
• Warmth in the joint
• Limited range of motion

For some people, the pain is so intense that even a light breeze feels intolerable. For others, symptoms last for days or weeks after a flare-up.

We can generally manage flare-ups with medication, both acute drugs for the flare-ups and long-term medications to lower the uric acid levels in your blood.

Tips for working out when you have gout

During a gout flare-up, you should rest, apply ice to the area, and elevate your legs if the gout pain is in a lower body joint. 

Exercising only exacerbates the inflammatory process in already painful joints. But non-weight-bearing, low-intensity exercise may be possible and may also help reduce inflammation.

In general, people living with gout who maintain a regular routine of low- to moderate-intensity exercise have a better prognosis before, during, and after a flare-up than those who are sedentary or who exercise at high intensity.

Aerobic exercises such as walking, cycling, and swimming all work the body’s cardiovascular system, and they prove most helpful for managing uric acid levels and body weight. Swimming and water aerobics, both of which take advantage of buoyancy, also help decrease stress on the painful joint.

In addition, general flexibility exercises like yoga can help with mobility. In fact, one research study demonstrated that yoga helped improve pain levels in those with gout.

Pain generally decreases your activity level, and that means your joints can stiffen and become less flexible. A recent clinical review showed exercise can help restore your ability to move after a gout flare-up.

Strength training for the lower extremities is also important, as lower extremity strength often decreases in those managing gout, in part from lack of exercising.

Do you want more tips on how to work out when you have gout? Do you need a specialist to help you manage the condition? Chicagoland Foot and Ankle is the place you want to be.

To get started, book online or call us at any of our locations — the Mount Greenwood and Portage Park areas of Chicago, Orland Park, and New Lenox, Illinois.

We can help.