Gout, as the name suggests, is a painful condition that can be very unsettling and affects the life and work of the patient.
The majority of people in life, when the body is in pain, will be through the way of hot compresses to unblock the meridians, play a role in relieving the pain, and therefore people think that gout attack pain can be taken to soak feet hot compresses to relieve the pain, but do not know that gout attack if soak feet or hot compresses, but will make the pain more and more serious.

Can I soak my feet and apply hot compresses to relieve the pain of a gout attack?

The reason is that the skin temperature rises and blood vessels dilate during an acute attack of gout, so using a towel or a hot compress such as a foot soak will cause the blood vessels to dilate even more, leading to increased blood flow, which in turn leads to congestion and edema in the lesion, further aggravating inflammation and increasing pain. Although gout patients can usually soak their feet to promote blood circulation, but if it is an acute attack, it is important to remember not to apply hot compresses or soak their feet.

Many people may think that since they cannot apply hot compresses, they can take cold compresses to relieve the discomfort, which is also a way to relieve pain. But no, although cold compresses can reduce the pain, but will stimulate vasoconstriction, so that blood flow is reduced, but not conducive to the absorption of inflammation dissipation. It can even cause crystals to form in the joint due to the low local temperature, which can aggravate the inflammation. This is why hot or cold foot soaks should not be used during an acute gout attack.

What can be done to relieve pain during an acute attack of gout?

1. Bed rest: acute attack will be because of the pain of their own activities, so try to bed rest, until the pain relief can resume normal activities, so as to avoid frequent activities to aggravate the inflammation. And pay attention to the pain relief can be appropriate walking, but can not be strenuous exercise, will lead to pain again aggravated.

2. Oral painkillers: in the acute phase of the attack can choose to take oral drugs to relieve pain, but pay attention to try to choose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such drugs can reduce the inflammatory response, to relieve pain effect. However, some patients have weak gastrointestinal function and are prone to stomach discomfort when taking such drugs, so they should take stomach protectors at the same time.

3. Elevate the affected limb: In addition to pain, there may also be edema at the site of the lesion during a gout attack. Therefore, it is necessary to elevate the affected limb to reduce edema and prevent damage to the site.

4. Apply ointment: You can choose pain relief ointment to apply, which can play an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effect, thus improving the symptoms of gout. However, you should pay attention to the amount of ointment used according to the location of the lesion, and not to apply a large amount in order to achieve quick results.

5. Do a good job of keeping warm: to avoid the cold invasion of blood vessels constriction, resulting in increased inflammation, to do a good job of warm measures according to the temperature, to promote blood circulation to relieve pain. Also pay attention to choosing loose and comfortable shoes and socks to prevent the lesion from being rubbed and aggravating the pain, but avoid frequent walking.

Tips
Once an acute attack of gout has occurred, measures can be taken to relieve the pain. However, it is important to choose anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs as the main oral medication, rather than blindly taking various uric acid-lowering drugs. The only way to avoid recurrent gout attacks is to stop the pain first and then lower the uric acid after the acute attack has passed.