Gout In The Elbow - Painful and ANNOYING!

In most cases, gout seems to embark on a journey from your lower body to the upper. It usually begins in the big toes, sailing all the way to the knees then to the fingers. Sometimes, gout becomes an omniscient being who appears in all joints at the same time! Thus, it is not surprising if gout decides to appear in the elbow.

This article aims to explain gout in the elbow and explain a few tips for you to relieve the pain and inflammation.

The Ominous Gout in the Elbow

Compared to getting gout in the knees, heels, toes (especially big toes), the chances of getting gout in the elbow is extremely low. I repeat, EXTREMELY LOW. Not as low as the chances of winning a lottery, but it sees fewer incidence. This is not a coincidence.

If you get gout in your toes or heels, it is not a guarantee that you will get further gout in the fingers and the elbows. BUT, if you get gout in your fingers or/and elbows, it is almost guaranteed that at least once you will get gout attacks in the toes, knees and other joints in your lower body.

Have you ever wondered why gout attacks seem to begin in the lower part of the body? Have you ever wondered why tophi grow in your extremities such as the earlobes? Have you ever wondered why gout in finger and gout in the elbow is unusual? There is a logical explanation behind this.

The perfect breeding ground for gout has three characteristics:

1. High uric acid concentration
2. Cold temperature
3. The presence of synovial fluids!

The colder the temperature, the faster it will be for uric acid to crystallize. Uric acid saturation point drops if the temperature is low. Thus, the longer it is exposed to cold temperature, the more chances of crystallization. If you are a gout and hyperuricemia sufferer, the joints in your lower body contains all those factors. Every ball-and-socket joints in the body has synovial fluids found in their bursal sac. Added to this is the fact that the lower body has a lower temperature compared to your core. Thus, uric acid in your lower body is exposed to cold temperature the longest. This cold temperature is worsened because we rarely defend our lower body against cold temperatures especially during our sleep.

The cold temperature factor also explains why tophi deposits in the earlobes. Since the ear is very cold and has very small veins that causes slow circulation, uric acid is exposed to the cold for a long time that is enough for it to crystalize. The same goes for the outer ear. This factor also explains why gout attacks usually happen at night.

The elbow has its own bursal sac thus making it a candidate for gout to occur. However, it is not as cold as your toe or your heels or whatever joint in the lower part of the body. Thus, it is highly likely that you will get gout in your lower body before your elbow.

I have gout in the elbow. What now?

The pain may tempt you to do some Do-it-yourself gout surgery but please don’t.  There are plenty of other ways you can do. For starters, you can try to soak your gouty elbow in a pail of warm water. This will help ease the pain, provide relaxing sensation and at the same time dissolve the uric acid crystal. Soak it in warm water not only during gout attacks but also at least once a day.

Usually, sufferers and doctors alike suggest that you soak your gouty joint to a pail of cold water. Sadly, this will do more harm than good. Remember, low temperature is a BIG NO for your gout.

Yu can also take medications and stuff, but I guarantee you they will not do any good in the long run. Take a look at this article about “gout pain relief in two hours”.