The Early Symptoms of Gout: A Complete Guide

Did you know that gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis? According to studies, gout may affect up to 6.8 percent of the population. It is more prevalent in men than women, and the risk increases as you age or with obesity.

Unfortunately, many people don’t understand the early symptoms of gout and don’t receive treatment for it. The symptoms can be confused with rheumatoid arthritis. Factors like obesity and lifestyle can increase the risk of getting gout.

Being aware of the early symptoms of gout means that you can get treatment sooner. Read on to learn more about the sign of gout and its treatment.

What Is Gout?

Gout is a type of arthritis that attacks particular areas like your:

• big toe
• ankles
• knees
• elbows
• wrists

It’s caused when there is a build-up of urate or hyperuricemia in your blood, which causes uric acid crystals to be built up in your joints. Certain foods and drinks like alcohol, soft drinks and liver can trigger gout attacks.

Gout is highly treatable, as long as you are aware of the early symptoms and get treatment. Unfortunately, the symptoms can be mistaken or ignored easily. Remember that some people may have uric acid in their blood and have no symptoms.

Common Symptoms of Gout

There are some signs of gout that you can watch out for. Unfortunately, many of the symptoms of gout can be confused with rheumatoid arthritis. If you are dealing with these symptoms, you may want to get tested immediately.

Pain in Your Big Toe

One of the most common symptoms of gout is severe pain in your big toe. When your body is unable to break down uric acid, it will build up and create crystals. These crystals often migrate to your big toe causing excruciating pain, warmth, and redness.

Pain in Your Joints

Uric acid also builds up in joints in the body, including the knees, wrist, and elbows. If you have severe pain in your joints that flare up at random times, you may want to consider getting tested. Some people can have pain in one joint, while others have pain in more than one joint at the same time.

Intense Pain at Night

In most cases, gout flares can strike at night between midnight and 8 am, so you may feel more intense pain at night. This is because of lower body temperature and being more dehydrated at night.

Pain In Flares

Gout pain comes in flares. You can be asleep completely normal and then wake up during the night in intense pain. This pain is generally not constant like stiff knees every morning, which is more common with rheumatoid arthritis.

Fatigue

When you have a gout attack, you will be more fatigued. You can feel like you are dealing with the flu. You may even have a fever and muscle aches.

Strange Lumps and Bumps on Your Joints

If you don’t get treatment for gout, the uric acid will build up and crystalize into strange lumps and bumps on your joint. This is a sign that gout is becoming chronic. You can still get rid of the bumps with treatment once you see them appear.

Kidney Stones

Uric acid can also build up in the urinary tract and cause kidney stones. Technically, kidney stones are not a symptom of gout but are caused because of gout. If you are dealing with kidney stones, you may want to get tested just to ensure that it’s not caused by gout.

Natural Gout Treatment

Once you are aware of the early symptoms, you can look into treating gout. One of the steps to managing gout is changing your lifestyle by saying no to alcohol, drinking more water, and getting regular exercise.

Herbal Paste

You can apply an herbal paste called lepana that is massaged directly onto the joints. These herbs target pain and inflammation and can help you deal with the discomfort of your symptoms. The ingredients of the herbal paste vary based on your particular ailment, so make sure you speak to an Ayurvedic practitioner first.

Ayurvedic Massages

Ayurvedic massages use oils to massage your body in a way that balances the energies of your body, mind, and spirit. It can help to detoxify your body of toxins, calm nerves, and reduce swelling in your body. Other benefits of Ayurvedic massage include helping you to manage your anxieties, promoting better sleep, and improving blood circulation.

Herbal Oil Detoxification

There are several detoxification treatments that can help purge your body of toxins and irritants. With Panchakarma, you avoid food and ingest certain herbs and oils to clear your intestines, stomach, and liver. Virechana involves taking special herbs to induce purging that can clean every major organ system in your body.

Vasti is a method where diluted essential oils and herbs are inserted into your body through your anus, vaginal canal, and urethra. It can help to cleanse your body of toxins.

Each of these treatments is distinct and is meant to deal with particular body types and energies. Consult an Ayurvedic specialist to treat and cure your gout naturally.

Using Herbs Regularly

You can also build an herbal routine that can help you manage your gout. Some herbs you can consider are ashwagandha, turmeric, ginger, and coriander. These herbs are known to have anti-inflammatory properties that help you reduce symptoms and deal with future attacks.

Worried about Early Symptoms of Gout? Book Your Appointment Today

Now you know all about the early symptoms of gout. You can be dealing with intense pain and swelling when there is a gout attack, and then everything returns to normal. Unfortunately, if you don’t treat the gout condition, it becomes chronic.

So, you are worried about early symptoms of gout? Book an appointment with us today. You can book a free discovery session of a 10-minute phone call to get your answers or 60-minute consultation with an Ayurvedic specialist.

• January 9, 2024
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