When someone asks “what does gout feel like in the knee” I imagine I’m dealing with a person with swollen knees. They’ve probably had gout in their feet, hands, wrists, or elbows. But something makes them wonder if it is gout or not. So I’d recommend starting with an Arthritis Sufferer Plan.
But the question is rhetorical. Because it is time to tell my story of gout in the knee. Or the ankle? We shall see, after this brief introduction.
Gout in the Knee Intro
My Gout in the Knee story starts with gonagra knee. A story so old, the ancients created Gonagra as their word for Knee Gout.
I used to get annoyed when sufferers referred to gout in different parts of the body as something special. “Gout is Gout!” I’d exclaim, “So just treat the uric acid. Then wherever your gout is, it will go away.” But there’s more than uric acid treatment to every gout story. Because to reach the happy ending of recovery, you have to live through, and learn through, the pain.
What does Gout feel like in the Knee?
In many ways, gout in the knee is no different from gout in any joint. Especially when you consider that untreated uric acid will cause gout to spread to every joint.*
But gout pain has a big effect on the mind. So it can be frightening to realize that pain is spreading from your feet. Also, many gout sufferers only get gout in the knee once they start taking real action to control their uric acid. Very frightening if you don’t understand how that happens.
Every case is different. As you’ll see from the discussions I’ve listed below. But first, let me tell you about gout in my knees.
Gout in the Knee
My first gout experience was in my ankle. Which is a fascinating story of gout misdiagnosis. But for a different story time.
I’d learned quite a few gout facts before my first knee flare up. So I was not surprised or frightened by it. Because I knew it was just another step in my progressive gout disease. Speaking of steps, my feet already knew the relief from my 2-hour gout pain control. Then my knees soon realized it was just as effective with them.
Perhaps if my pain control techniques were less effective, I would have started uric acid control sooner. But my “gout treatment barrier” was my nightmare of becoming one of the “old people and their daily pills”. I believed I would eventually find the dietary secrets that would save me from that nightmare. Anyway, I will return to those stories later. Because today I must remind you of my critical gouty knee story.
That’s right – April 2011 was the significant time when I could not distinguish between a gouty ankle and a broken knee. Maybe the morphine was clouding my judgment. But I genuinely believed my knee was suffering a gout attack. And maybe I’d suffered a broken ankle before I lost consciousness??
However, x-rays confirmed a broken knee. Then passage of time confirmed a gouty ankle.
Going back to the question, “what does gout feel like in the knee?” I’d like to answer “knee gout feels like a broken ankle”. Except that it was the other way round for me. In any case, it jolted me into taking allopurinol action. Within a few months, I was gout free, with uric acid safely under 5 mg/dL. I can recall minor gout flares in my knees during that recovery period. But I was well-prepared with pain relief. So I quickly dealt with the minor inconvenience.
As I said, every gout sufferer has a different story about gout in the knee. So here are a few samples from the gout forums…
What does Gout feel like in Your Knee?
Here’s what you told me about gout in your knee:
Gout Story Starts with the Knee
Most gout sufferers’ stories don’t start in their knees. So they suffered in silence, until the knee joints come under fire. Then gout in the knee prompts them to reach out to fellow sufferers…
- Knee Pain from Gout at night
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Knees are tough to diagnose. If months of allopurinol (and a consistent uric acid below 6.0) tends to make the knee feel better, then a gouty knee is suspect. But there are just SO many conditions and injuries that cause knee pain it is often very hard to diagnose.
Read the Knee Pain from Gout at night story at Knee pain only when laying down.
- Gout blocking Knee movement
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I can’t straighten either leg to knees feeling like something is blocking … to know if others have had knee range issues that were gout related.
Read the Gout blocking Knee movement story at With gouty knees I can’t straighten either leg.
- Gout seized Knee and Hip
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This was different though- the next day my knee started to seize up and I assumed it was a twist from working in a confined space as is often done.
Read the Gout seized Knee and Hip story at Gout-like pain in Knee and Hip.
- Awake all night with Gout in Knee
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I have never experienced gout in my knee until a few days ago. Wednesday/Thursday I started getting that “feeling”. I went to bed Thursday with a sore knee and I woke up 2 hours later and was up all night.
Read the Awake all night with Gout in Knee story at Gout in my knee.
- Gout attack in the knee!
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Several days ago, played some squash and had quite the workout. Next day or so, I felt an ache in my right knee. Since I didn’t recall injuring myself at the time, I decided to see the doctor
Read the Gout attack in the knee story at Gout attack in the knee! Agonizing pain.
Those gout sufferers reached out when gout reached their knees. Notice how many feel that knee gout is somehow different. So their main concern becomes how to understand gout in the knee.
Gout Story Spreads to the Knee
Other gout sufferers’ stories started with different concerns. Maybe they first worried about their treatment. Or their gout story started with a sore toe. But like many cases of gout, the stories soon spread to the knees…
- Knees, Jogging, and Gout
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Will jogging hurt feet, ankles, and knees? … yep CJ- I’d take a punt and bet that if you haven’t had a knee attack gout and now under control in the feet- you would be OK.
Read the Knees, Jogging, and Gout story at Controlled gout with allopurinol. So is jogging OK?.
- Toe Gout Spreads To Knee
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Doctor thinks that gout has helped destroy my knee and the cartilage within it. I also have a partially torn meniscus, but some other pain I’m feeling in the knee isn’t related to that.
Read the Toe Gout Spreads To Knee story at Gout in toe is ridiculously painful!
There are many similar stories from sufferers who have shared what it feels like to have gout in their knee. Those are the discussions from the old gout forum.
But the gout knee stories continue to this day. So read what you are telling me now in the current Gout in Knee Forum.
Always remember that those are only a small selection of gout knee stories. So you will find more if you use the search box near the top of every GoutPal page.
What does Gout feel like in Keith’s Knee?
Now I’ll end my gout knee story with the current state of my gouty knees…
Actually, that’s enough for now. I’ll finish my story when I know a bit more about yours. So please:
- Read the Gout Knee Facts.
- Tell me what your gouty knees feel like.
- Subscribe
Leave What does Gout feel like in the Knee to read more Keith’s GoutPal Stories.
* Gout in the Knee Footnotes
Unlike the main gout site, I don’t provide references for every fact that I mention in these stories. Because they’re my stories and I believe everything I remember here. But I always include links to my gout forum. Where I’m more than happy to discuss any and all gout facts you care to dispute. Similarly, I’m not considering linking between stories. So if you can’t recall my critical April 2011 event, search for “GoutPal On The Mend”.