Disclaimer: Gout Is A Medical Condition & Needs To Be Treated As Such

A very happy new year to all of you! I know we are almost over with January, but hey good things are on the horizon I feel! Omicron seems to have peaked in most parts of the world, and things aren’t looking as bleak as they were a few months earlier. A man can hope right!?

Speaking about hope, some folks are very hopeful that massage can truly help end their gout pain. Is there actually some truth to this, or are most folks in for a ton of disappointment?

That’s the big question we’ll be tackling in today’s post, but before we do…..very important to state this out in the clear:

What Causes Gout Pain To Begin With?

Before even beginning to talk about whether massage can be beneficial at treating gout, it’s important to look at what causes gout pain. Knowing the source of the pain is important before finding ways to treat it.

When most people think of gout, they think of intense pain in the big toe, but it’s not always the big toe! You can also experience joint pain in the ankles, elbows, knees, fingers and wrists (Source: MayoClinic).

If you are a sufferer of gout, I’d be interested to know more about your condition. How severe pain do you experience, and how frequent does it happen? Does it come and ago at certain times, or is it there for continuous long spells? Drop a comment and share your experience! I love hearing from you.

So the culprit behind all of this is something called uric acid. It’s this uric acid that leads to the formation or urate crytals, which is basically what forms and accumulates around joints causing the inflammation which then subsequently causes pain (Source: MayoClinic).

So if uric acid is the issue, what invokes its production in the body? So your body produces uric acid when it breaks down something called purines. Purines are naturally found in the body, and of course certain foods are also rich in purines. For example, red meats, certain seafood, and alcoholic beverages such as beer.

So does diet play a role? You bet it does! It’s one of the factors

If you want to understand more about gout, along with the risk factors and complications, you should check out the linked article to Mayo Clinic. It’s well worth a read!

So Can Massage Help Relieve Gout Pain?

Let’s think about it for a moment. The pain from gout is essentially due to the formation of urate crystals which then causes joint inflammation.

What do you think, can massage help in this instance?

Massage may help in reducing some of the inflammation and subsequently the pain, but I really don’t think it’s a permanent solution. It’s more of a pain management type solution, if you will.

If you were to ask me, I would choose a natural therapy such as massage over pain pills any day of the week! But…

But…one thing that’s important to consider is this: let’s say you have gout and the area affected is your big toe, and it hurts like hell and feels on fire – how would you feel about getting it massaged!? Probably wouldn’t wanna do it, right!? So massage is a double edged sword, it may help relieve some of the pain but it may cause some as well.

It may not always be the case, especially if you have a well trained therapist who’s super skillful and experienced at treating the condition.

A therapist like this might be able to make a difference for someone. However, I’m not sure how many there are who understand the condition, how to massage for relief, and most importantly to do so without causing any discomfort to the patient.

Should You Take Matters Into Your Own Hands?

Well yes and no. Yes if taking matters into your own hands means eating a more healthy balanced diet, and no if taking matters into your own hands means self-massage.

I know not everyone will agree with this stance, but I stand by it.

Self massage is great, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for gout. I do feel that if you were to take matters into your own hands, you may also inadvertently make the situation worse instead of better. That being said, I would tread cautiously!

In fact, before commencing any massage regimen for pain management, I would get it cleared by your doctor/specialist., after which you should talk to your therapist and see if they are able to help treat your condition. If both of these things check out, give it a go!

See how it works out for you, and if you find it’s helpful….continue with it!

I know I make it sound simplistic, but there’s not much else to say really. Gout is a medical condition and massage can only help so much. The silver lining is at has helped some folks with pain relief.

Share Your Experience: It Might Help Someone Else!

If you’ve been suffering from Gout, sharing your experience and what worked (or didn’t work) for you could greatly help someone else. Maybe it was something as simple as changing your diet, or maybe some other unconventional therapy, I don’t know, but I’d like to!

That being said, feel free to share your comments down below!

Alright, that’s all from me. Take care, be well and we’ll see you next week!