Does Walking On Gout Foot Make It Worse? Walking with a gout foot will not make it worse. You can safely walk with your gout foot. In fact, joint-friendly activities are recommended to reduce pain related to gout.
A gout is a form of arthritis that commonly affects your big toe joint. However, it may also impact the lesser toes, knees, and ankles. Usually, it affects one joint at a time.
Are you worried that physical activity can worsen your gout? This article will make it clear to you. Read more.
Can you walk with gout foot? (Does Walking On Gout Foot Make It Worse)
You can safely walk with gout, even with severe arthritis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, physical activities that are joint-friendly are essential to improve gout-related pain.
These joint-friendly activities don’t put a lot of stress on your joints. It also helps to reduce the risk of injury. Aside from walking, you can also go swimming and cycling.
Your doctor may recommend you to participate in the least moderate intensity physical activity for about 150 minutes weekly. If you have gout, you can begin slowly, and you should be aware of how your body tolerates exercise.
Then, you can slowly add more time. You can adjust your physical activities based on the symptoms you may experience. It may involve lowering the amount of time for exercise if the symptoms worsen.
How can exercise help with your gout?
Exercise can help if you have a gout foot. It can improve your motion range, reduce pain, and makes you feel more energized.
In addition, exercising regularly can also help you lose weight, which is essential for those with gout. Being overweight can increase your body’s uric acid, mainly contributing to gout.
If you lose weight through exercise, you can reduce pain since you will put less stress on the joints. Remember that those who have gout can be prone to heart disease. Exercise can promote better heart health.
If you want o know Does Losing Weight Help Plantar Fasciitis, then read out this guide.
What are the symptoms of gout?
The gout symptoms in the affected joint are:
- Severe pain
- Warmth
- Flushed skin
- Swelling
- Stiffness
Meanwhile, gout flares can improve after a few weeks without treatment. Its frequency can differ from person to person.
How to prevent gout flares?
You can avoid gout flares in the future if you make changes to your routine. You can consider the following tips:
- Reducing intake of alcohol, especially beer
- Exercise regularly
- Reduce intake of sugary drinks
- Keep moderate weight
- Eat less purine-rich foods like red meat
What can make gout worse?
Keep in mind that your gout may progress if left untreated. Some factors that may worsen your gout include:
1. Diet
It can involve consuming food rich in purines that can be broken down to urate, like shellfish and red meat. Your body’s urate production can also be increased by high-fructose foods.
Alcohol can reduce the excretion of uric acid in your urine, so your uric acid levels increases. Make sure to prevent foods rich in purines to avoid flares.
2. Injury and stress
Remember that a gout attack can also be caused by emotional stress. Physical trauma on your foot can release crystals which can lead to an inflammatory reaction.
3. Obesity
Obesity is a risk factor for the foot condition. Losing weight can help reduce urate levels. Practice a healthy diet to lower your disease progression.
What are the stages of gout?
Gout is inflammatory arthritis and has four stages of progression.
Stage 1 High Uric Acid Levels
It is the starting stage of gout, also known as asymptomatic hyperuricemia. It is where uric acid starts to build up in your blood-forming crystals around the joints, usually in the foot.
Stage 2 Acute Gout
In this stage, you may experience a sudden nighttime gout attack. You may feel redness, pain, and swelling of the joints in the foot, big toe, knee, or ankle.
At this phase, urate crystals can be released into the joint fluid, which leads to an inflammatory reaction, bringing a lot of white blood cells. The release of inflammatory chemicals causes redness, pain, and swelling.
Stage 3 Intercritical Gout
About 75% who suffer the first gout flare may experience the second in a similar year. At this point, you will start a long-term treatment.
Stage 4 Chronic Gout
This phase is also known as tophaceous gout since the uric deposits form nodules called tophi, usually at the bunion joint of the big toe. It is the stage where you can feel joint pain all the time.
When should you see a doctor?
Once you experience any disease symptoms, you should immediately see your doctor. Gout flares can last for days or weeks; make sure to have it checked with a specialist to identify the best solutions to prevent your condition from worsening.
The doctor can evaluate your condition. They may conduct a physical examination of the affected area. They can also request other tests, including:
- X-ray to know the cause of swelling
- A blood test that measures the level of your body’s uric acid
- Joint fluid test that shows the urate crystals
- Ultrasound for identifying the urate crystals in your joint
Why should you exercise with a gout condition?
You can still perform joint-friendly exercises to maintain your health and reduce the pain related to gout. In addition, it can also help you improve the quality of your life.
As we mentioned earlier, people with gout can be at high risk of developing heart disease. So, you should exercise to avoid being overweight, which can lead to heart failure.
Conclusion
Generally, gout is arthritis that can affect the joints of your ankles, feet, and knees. It can be difficult for you to perform physical activities.
However, doctors may recommend people with gout perform joint-friendly exercises to lower its symptoms and maintain physical health. You should also reduce the pressure on the joint if you suffer from a gout flare. If you search for comfortable shoes while walking with your gout, you can consider our top picks for the best shoes for foot conditions.