Patient/caregiver was educated on lifestyle measures in individuals with Gout as follows:
- Exercise helps to reduce pain & tenderness, improve strength & stability in the gouty joint. Do not over do on the exercise recommended to a point that it leads to exacerbation of pain due to overuse of the joint involved. Check with your physician or therapist regarding recommendations and limitations for exercise to your inflamed joint. Observe compliance with exercise schedule, as recommended. Having an exercise routine for at least 30 minutes every day can significantly help improve the flexibility and function of the joints. If the joint pains are severely incapacitating, starting with a 5-minutes exercise plan and slowly extending it to 30 minutes routine in a step-wise fashion, over a period of time, can be helpful.
- Gouty arthritic individuals presenting with severe stiffness in the joints should start their day with gentle stretches. Gentle movements, such as, pulling both knees into the chest and assuming a knee chest position for 10 seconds before straightening them, slowly bending down to touch your toes, stretching the arms out etc., help to stretch the muscles around the stiff joints, which contributes to increasing blood flow into the joint. Increased blood flow leads to building warmth in the joint and remove the inflammatory mediators accumulated in the joint over the night by moving them into the circulation. This helps with improved flexibility and relief from stiffness.
- Exposure to severe cold climate can worsen the pain in the inflamed joints and cause extreme discomfort to individuals with history of gout. Wearing caps, sweaters, gloves, boots, and other apparel for protection against exposure to cold, especially when outdoors, can help promote comfort for individuals with gout. Maintaining the warmth inside the house and workplaces by turning heater on to comfort level can help counter the stiffness in gouty joints. These individuals can also keep a watch on the temperature and go for a walk or workout when it is warm. Wearing fresh warm tracksuit/workout clothes by tossing them into the dryer for 5 minutes before donning them can help with reducing the stiffness in the joints and loosen up. When considering swimming for workout, make sure the pool is warm enough before getting in.
