“Is it okay to exercise with mild knee pain?”

Gout leads to arthritis and running is hard on an arthritic knee. Exercise is good, but I would recommend non-pounding exercises like swimming and bicycling.

Gout traditionally causes a combination of arthritis and often this is combined with osteoarthritis, particularly in the knee. The best exercises for prevention of having pain and still getting a good workout include swimming, bicycling and elliptical. While treadmill it’s OK the impact can cause worsening of the knee pain.

If the pain worsens or changes I recommend getting evaluated to see exactly what he’s dealing with.

Absolutely, low impact exercise is key for overall health and joint preservation. He should cross train considering biking and swimming in addition to the running exercises.

As long is it does not hurt he can do the treadmill.

Gout certainly cause knee pain. If the pain is mild and there is no significant swelling exercising on a treadmill is probably fine. Knee pain with gout is due to what is termed gouty arthritis. Like any type of arthritis this means that the cartilage lining the joint is degenerating. Patients with knee arthritis should exercise with low impact activities such as biking, swimming, walking, or hiking over relatively flat terrain. The treadmill is usually okay since it is not really high impact except with strenuous running. What ever exercise is performed it should be monitored by pain, or swelling. If it hurts back off. Gouty arthritis can also respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications which include ibuprofen, naproxen, and prescription NSAIDs

Sounds like he should be checked out by a sports medicine specialist (physical exam, X-rays, etc) to design a custom exercise program because of his specific condition(s), which may, or may not, involve treadmill running.

While exercising does expose the knee to some wear and tear, the lack of exercise is far more detrimental. Low-impact aerobic exercise in moderation is usually beneficial. Exercises to keep his weight down may actually help minimize the wear and tear on his joints.

Assuming his knee pain is not from another cause, running on a treadmill in moderation is reasonable. He may want to consider even lower-impact exercises such as swimming.

If your husband has gout then you have most likely received that diagnosis from your primary care physician. With that said, you probably further understand that gout is a build up of uric acid in the body and can cause acute painful episodes when the excess acid crystallizes in joints or tendons. One should not exercise during these acute episodes as it will likely worsen the inflammatory response to the gouty crystals which can intensify the symptoms and prolong the gouty “attack”.

Exercising at other times is actually recommended. The benefits of exercise certainly outweigh the risks but must be done in moderation and sensibly. If your husband has mild knee pain following treadmill running then he may be experiencing some joint damage the gout has created over the years. Running is considered high impact and he should consider changing to a low impact activity like walking, bicycling, swimming, elliptical or stair climbing. These low impact exercises will likely provide good aerobic activity without the high impact to the joints and will help reduce exercise-induced pain and chronic damage.

Good luck!!

Absolutely! I would, however, suggest smooth, in-control activities rather than heavy impact ones. Avoid sharp or worsening pain. Make sure he is in a solid, stable shoe.
Generally speaking, motion and strength far outweigh the problems of a weak knee.