There is no doubt that ice relieves swelling. There is no doubt that an acute gout flare causes painful swelling. The big question is: does the beneficial aspect of inflammation control from ice
There are several references to ice as a gout pain relief treatment in medical literature. One researcher has suggested that ice treatment can even be used to differentiate between gout and other forms of arthritis In that investigation, patients suffering from proven gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and other forms of inflammatory arthritis were asked to report if ice treatment helped them, or made pain worse. The claim is that cold will help gout pain, therefore it is a useful addition to gout treatment.