The inflammation causes the pain
When the uric acid crystals start to collect in your body, they usually do it in lhe sinews and ligaments in part of your body where you have low circulation and where the temperature is a little lower than the head and around the heart. In short, in your feet.
Unfortunately, the foot is also full of nerves, so when the inflammation starts it puts pressure on the nerves too. And that is what causes the pain associated with gout. I explain this a bit in my book "Gout Simply Explained" and try to make it as completely unscientific as I could, because the biochemistry of the human body is really hard to understand even if you have medical training.
Unfortunately, the foot is also full of nerves, so when the inflammation starts it puts pressure on the nerves too. And that is what causes the pain associated with gout. I explain this a bit in my book "Gout Simply Explained" and try to make it as completely unscientific as I could, because the biochemistry of the human body is really hard to understand even if you have medical training.
GETTING RID OF CRYSTALS
The inflammatory response is the same as the inflammation your body triggers to get rid of a virus, like Coronavirus or influenza. But they are not concentrated to a single point, like gout.
Gout is concentrated in one single point because the uric acid crystals get released into the synovic fluid that llubricates the joint, instead of into the blood.
When your body tries to get rid of the uric acid crystals, it can't. Those crystals will not go away unless they can be dissolved and flushed out from your body. That means the inflammation will persist until you are below the threshold concentration in your blood, which (on average) is 6.8 mg/dL. I wrote more about how much uric acid your body contains here.
Gout is concentrated in one single point because the uric acid crystals get released into the synovic fluid that llubricates the joint, instead of into the blood.
When your body tries to get rid of the uric acid crystals, it can't. Those crystals will not go away unless they can be dissolved and flushed out from your body. That means the inflammation will persist until you are below the threshold concentration in your blood, which (on average) is 6.8 mg/dL. I wrote more about how much uric acid your body contains here.
WHEN INFLAMMATION STRIKES
When your immune system discovers the uric acid crystals in your body, it triggers a reaction. This reaction is intended to remove all dead and damaged cells, and repair the damaged location - and capture all the damaging foreign bodies which could have damaged the cells. Normally that would be viruses and they are dangerous since if they infect new cells, they will stsrt to replicate and infect more cells. .
When the inflammation happens the top priority is to get white corpuscles to the damaged location. The circulatory system channels widen so the blood can transport immune cells which have collected attackers. This increases pressure on the nerves in the surrounding tissue. Which causes the pain you are feeling. This is the same effect as coronavirus survivors have reported, the most excruciating pain they have ever felt.
When the inflammation happens the top priority is to get white corpuscles to the damaged location. The circulatory system channels widen so the blood can transport immune cells which have collected attackers. This increases pressure on the nerves in the surrounding tissue. Which causes the pain you are feeling. This is the same effect as coronavirus survivors have reported, the most excruciating pain they have ever felt.
HOW TO QUELL THE INFLAMMATION
The inflammation is a reaction so the easiest way to get rid of it is to remove the irritant. But that is easier said than done, especially with gout. Your body has interpreted the crystal in the synovic fluid as a virus, and the cell which released it as a damaged cell. As long as there are uric acid crystals present in your cartilage, the cells can send out inflammatory signals. You need to get rid of the crystals, and the way yo do that is through diet.
But the inflammation will only go down when you get rid of the inflammatory signals from the cells that were damaged by the crystal release. That means increasing the blood circulation in the cells, which means heating up the damaged location.
But the inflammation will only go down when you get rid of the inflammatory signals from the cells that were damaged by the crystal release. That means increasing the blood circulation in the cells, which means heating up the damaged location.
ANTI INFLAMMATION
Taking antiinflammatory medicine helps making the inflammation less painful. Ibuprofen is preferable to aspirin, but there are many different types of antiinflammatories and a pharmacist may be able to advice which is most appropriate for you. Even though 60 percent of the population get effect from any inflammatory drug, there are lots of people who only respond to a specific drug or drug family. And most do not have instant effect.
INSTANT PAIN RELIEF
The pain is enough to drive you crazy, but when it comes to legal pain relief there is only one which helps instantly and literally freezes the pain. The same pain relievers that athletes use is the most effective, save narcotics.
Spraying your big toe with cold spray during an attack literally deafens the pain by desentizising the nerves. The manufacturers do not recommend its use for more than 72 hours. But that is enough for the attacks in most people to subside.
Spraying your big toe with cold spray during an attack literally deafens the pain by desentizising the nerves. The manufacturers do not recommend its use for more than 72 hours. But that is enough for the attacks in most people to subside.
|
|
|
|