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Trev has written in one post – “””I shall definitely be watching my foot warmth this winter and ensuring daily exercise for my gouty feet.”””
The question is what are good exercises for Gouties?
Also what are the best ways to keep the foot (and other vulnerable body parts) warm?
I have heard many times that soaking foot in warm water with salt helps but what are the best ways to soak the foot in warm water and get best benefits? I mean a spa, water tub, running tap water etc.
Any other suggestions on keeping foot less vulnerable to gout (other than diet and medications)?
The best all round excercise for health is walking. Gouties will know if they are near an attack (hopefully) as the joints will start to complain. This can be a problem on long walks- but that is really a seperate issue.
Swimmming is good for load bearing joints not getting stressed- but here, I would think water temp. is important. Cold will stimulate circulation -but too long in the cold would not be good.
Most public pools seem to be moderately warm- too much so if doing multiple lengths.
I find cycling invaluable when having a gout attack as it's the ONLY free way to travel in this state.
Getting on and off can be agonising- I have scraped many a shin trying to hop over the frame when dismounting 🙁
Yoga would help- I don't do it now but foot exercises are in the lexicon.
There's also a relaxation routine that tenses and relaxes all the body group muscles in turn -so there is plenty for self help out there. This can include deep breathing which can help many other issues.
The main time for risk is when asleep though, I reckon- and extra cladding at the bed base is worth a thought- esp. if you don't like bedsocks ..[ & I don't].
All excellent points from trev.
I would add some general points.
Most exercise is good, but be careful not to overstress, or traumatize, joints as the resulting swelling can act as a uric acid crystal trigger (but only if uric acid concentration is high enough, and temperature low enough – i.e. a contributory factor).
Prolonged exercise can cause dehydration, which in turn can raise uric acid concentration.
Exertion can raise uric acid levels, probably due to increased muscle tissue metabolism. This is a short term effect, and there is evidence to suggest that regular exertion lowers the threshold – i.e. the resting uric acid levels of those who exercise regularly gets lower.
One exercise I would bring up for comment is rebounding. It is reported to greatly increase the circulation of the lymphatic fluids in the body. Read that there is more lymphatic fluid in the body than blood. Is there a lymphatic element to gout? I have a 34 year old, 550 lb friend with Lymphodema of the legs. When he rebounds he reports that he is up several times a night to pee, and that he can cut down on his water pills and his legs seem better. Made him a special rebounder like mine. I use a 2″ by 12″ plank(yellow pine) that is 12 ft long. Put blocks under at each end and jump in the middle. His is 10 ft long and I made frame for him to hold onto. Blocks are two 4 by 4's stacked and mounted on a 2 by 6. Board is secured to blocks with black truckers bungies.
The lymphatic effect of exercise, as far as I can tell, is not proved. If it does exist, it is certainly not exclusive to mini-trampolines.
Trampoline exercise is preferred over similar floor based exercise, e.g. rope work, as stress to the joints is reduced.
Be very, very careful on home made equipment. I would have thought the efforts of testing to ensure safety would not be worth the cost saving.
If you Google rebounding you will see amazing benefits from rebounding for a slew of conditions(as well as testimonials). Of course, most of these web sites sell rebounders. If infact rebounding is the best way of activating the Lymphatic system, maybe it would also have benefits for gout. Was wondering if anybody had tried it. As to the rebounder I made, it was not to save money. It gives a very slow and less harsh bounce than 4ft rebounders. Toes usually stay on the board with just the heels raising. Easy to talk and do breathing exercises while bouncing. After 5 minutes of bouncing it leaves me a little light headed. I dont need the hand rail, but my friend “Tiny” uses the handrail. Can you picture a 550lb man on a 4ft rebounder? Ha!
But if you use Google Scholar or Pubmed, you will find very little, which leads me to believe that the other stuff is marketing bollocks.
As ever, I would love to be proved wrong. Can anyone explain to me what a lymphatic workout is? (science not hype please – I've had enough of that in other threads).
I am not saying that rebounding is wrong – sounds like a great gout exercise to me. I'm just concerned that people use these thing for the right reasons.
I didn't mean to sound harsh about the home-made aspect, but I remain concerned that people are careful about safety. Even the bought ones should be checked regularly.
I'm sure lymphatic drainage must be good for anyone. A lot of therapies seem to extol its virtue and the system is very important for health.
On the safety angle. I once, [years ago when much lighter] got into a Bouncy Castle with my kids- Jeeze what an experience. The effect of some mass moving at speed was wierd and not a little dangerous.
People have been killed on odd occasions due to exiting trampolines or colliding.
Not yet banned in this safety leery age!
Ed: Your design sound much less 'exiting' -but if anyone gets over enthusiastic, the safety angle is important here -especially at the age or weight involved.
What's about toe stengthening exercises for those who suffered gout attack on big toe? I have got mixed reaction from the 2 specialists I talked to. One says, it is very helpful…the other says – it may trigger gout attack.
Similarly, there are rolling balls and some other foot / toe strengthening rollers which can help.
Any suggestions /comments?
U tube- I just caught your post, after my last.
https://gout-pal.com/gout-p…..tem/#p3425
From that- I mention the effect of lymphatic activity being good for reducing acid in the body so walking to do this- as well as flexing toe joints, would be ideal.
I'm going to try 8 miles in soft walking boots today to prove it!
For last 4 weeks, I am walking 4 to 5 times a week, about 4 miles at a stretch, at a pace of 4.5 to 4.8 miles an hour…It takes me about 50 minutes.
I have measured my SUA levels after that and I did not see any negative impact on the levels. They have been around 4 to 4.3 when I measured them immediatly after the walk.
The walk seems to help. After the injury, earlier I was on toe stretching exercise and then I moved on to walking once I was taken off the post op shoes.
Trev,
How did your 8 miles walk go? If things go fine, I will also do that in few weeks. I used to do 5 miles jog and 5 miles walk ( 10 miles in about 2 hrs) about 2-3 times a month but I have not gone into that routine yet. I am giving the joint more time and mentally I am not prepared yet. The toe still hurts when stressed more.
Very good walk UTube. First time back for weeks after flu and did bring on damp sweat somewhat- not yet 100% ! Quite a dank autumn day- if you know England!
On the foot front- the shoes ,even with old anti-shock lining from old runners took quite a bit of stick.
Both big toes got a working over, but settled a few hours later after hot bath! No flares anyway.
The shoulders ached more from the pack- with spare heavy duty walk sandals [not needed] amongst other stuff.
Rate was slow @ 2.5 mph- but it was a social affair also.
With more trad boots- I think I would have felt the impact. Can recommend the softer shoe /boot now coming in- but definitely waterproof.
Here's a pic to cheer you up- to make a change from me ranting ;~)
A monument from way back on the way into the home village [& Pub :)]
Exercises with Gout Update
This topic is especially for gout sufferers who want to exercise. So, you should check out 2 other gout and exercise pages:
1. Keith has updated Gout and Exercise to reduce Uric Acid to include new evidence to show that aerobic exercise for 45 days can reduce uric acid.
2. I have grouped new exercise discussions for gout sufferers into the Gout and Exercise Forum. So please join those discussions and add your own questions, experiences, and opinions about which exercises with gout.
Please remember if you want personal help with any aspect of gout, the new place to ask is GoutPal’s Gout Forum. So we look forward to chatting with you about your exercise with gout.
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