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Like all gout treatment, your exercise has to be personal. So, I should ask what exercise you like to do. Then, I can research the specifics rather than just give general advice. I’ve already written a lot of general advice about gout and exercise. You can easily find this by searching gout exercise in the search box at the top of every page. The key points are:
- Exercise is good for gout.
- Exercise for gout should be gentle and regular.
- Most gout sufferers have damaged joints. Therefore, gout sufferers should avoid exercise that stress ligaments and other parts of joints.
That last part is where we can look at specific exercises. One idea I’ve had for a few years is to checkout different exercises from a gout point of view. I’m fairly certain that swimming is very good. But, I don’t know what the limits are. For instance, I can imagine a few lengths of butterfly puts enormous strain on the shoulders. For most gout sufferers, the shoulders only get affected after several years of uric acid crystal buildup. But, everyone is different.
Once we realize gout exercise has to be personal, it’s easy to create a healthy plan. Safety should recognize which individual joints have been affected by gout. And, which joints are most likely to be affected in the near future. Then, safe gout exercise is a mix of personal favorites and safe ways to do those favorite exercises. I have a reliable source of advice, as my son-in-law is a qualified trainer.
Back to you. What are your favorite exercises?
Does gout make your feet sore like running a marathon?
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Hi, I’ve had gout for around 8 years and I have been managing it fine with Allopurinol but I recently had to stop due to it causing ‘reactive lymphoid follicular hyperplasia’ (i will discuss that in another post). Since dropping Allopurinol I had a small attack so I got myself a uric acid testing machine to see what my levels are doing.
This morning my levels were 6.4mg/dl (not great) but after running for 6km (around 30mins) I had lunch and re-tested. My first reading was 12.1mg/dl! Shocked I re-tested and got 9.1mg/dl.
I have found medical research online talking about it but has anyone found exercise triggers their gout?
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Generally speaking, Richard, exercise is good for gout. But excess uric acid causes joint weakness (and other dangers).
Therefore, exercise has to be carefully managed for gout sufferers. There are general principles, such as avoiding over-exertion. And, avoid over-stressing weakened joints.
On a practical level, exercise should be managed as part of a personal uric acid control plan. Are you currently taking any uric acid control medicine (including herbal)? If not, now is the perfect time to get a uric acid excretion rate test. Talk to your doctor about it. It’s an easy test involving collecting urine output for 24 hours. It gives you more information for controlling uric acid without allopurinol.
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Hey Mark, that’s a brilliant chart. Any readers who haven’t seen it should go to Blood UA Results.
Sorry, I should’ve responded earlier Mark, just to say thank you. I spent too long thinking about what I might add to it. But, it’s your chart, so thanks is enough.
I must add: I hope you will send updates as you continue to add more data.
Getting back to exercise. Though it seems bad that uric acid rises after hard exercise, it’s not the biggest concern. Short term increases in uric acid production usually cause short term increases in uric acid excretion. So, for most people, the net effect is minimal. In fact, I reported a study showing that, statistically, exercise lowers uric acid.
But, that’s only a pointer. On a personal level, it is important to measure uric acid excretion. Note, the excretion test is only truly valid before you start uric acid lowering treatment (including herbal medicine). Ideally, for exercise enthusiasts, you would arrange 2 tests. One day with normal activity, and one day including strenuous exercise.
The point of the tests is to get the best gout treatment for yourself. Your treatment can be improved if you are an underexcreter of uric acid. So, for the Gout Patient, you might take probenecid on exercise days. And, for the Gout Dieter, you might change some of your usual water intake to skim milk. Finally, for the Gout Herbalist, there are many natural uricosurics to choose from.
This topic is fantastic for emphasizing why gout treatment has to be personal. Exercise done in the right way, is generally beneficial to gout sufferers. But, exercise has to be managed by someone who understands gout. It’s so easy to get it wrong, if the Gout Person is not considered carefully as an individual.
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Finally got down to 6.0 and now 5.7. Not sure exactly what is the most critical, but went 90% vegetarian, no beer, almost zero alcohol and taking milk thistle and tart cherry. Drinking tons of water. Also, probiotics. I think that has been a big help since I was on a huge dose of antibiotics right before my major flare up. Also, I drank quite a bit (especially beer) and ate lots of beef, etc before all of this happened in October.
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That’s good news Mark. I think it’s impossible to identify single factors for gout recovery. Just as it’s often impossible to identify single gout causes. Gout-friendly lifestyle means a balanced lifestyle. So, healthy diet, in it’s true sense of the word, means eating that matches exercise. And, where moderate exercise is built into everyday living. With occasional regular exertion, to promote cardio-health.
I’m intrigued by the phrase “10% vegetarian”. Does that means 10% of your calorie intake is dead animal flesh? Also, I’m guessing your healthy lifestyle means you’re not overweight? Excess human flesh is a huge source of uric acid. Which is one reason for vegetarians with gout.
Thanks for continuing to share your progress Mark. I hope it encourages other gout sufferers to see that healthier lifestyle can significantly improve gout.
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