Gout it’s more that just a pain in the foot.

Gout is typically characterized by a sudden onset of acute pain, redness, and swelling. It typically occurs in the big toe joint. There is usually no history to an injury to the area. One goes to bed and the attack either occurs while you are sleeping or you notice it when you first get out of bed in the morning. The pain is so intense that the sheets touching the foot can cause excruciating pain. Our bodies normally make uric acid when we break down purines. Purines are normal in our body but are natural in our body. Purines can also occur in shoe foods. Sometimes our body has more uric acid that it can handle, either through overproduction or under excretion. When this occurs the uric acid is converted to urate crystals. The urate crystal are tiny needle-like crystals that can get deposited in your joint resulting in an inflammation reaction. The initial attack usually occurs in the big toe joint but subsequent attacks can occur in any joints. For more information on how to recognize the symptoms of gout see my video at:
http://www.howcast.com/videos/510232-How-to-Recognize-Gout-Symptoms-Foot-Care.

Most people think of Gout as an inconvenience due to joint pain. It is much more serous condition. A recent study Rheumatology found that patients with elevated uric acid levels are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke as those with normal levels. Controlling uric acid levels is an important way of maintaining proper cardiovascular health. Gout can be controlled with diet modification, exercise, and if necessary medications.

To learn more about how to prevent and treat gout please see my video at:
http://www.howcast.com/videos/510202-How-to-Prevent-and-Treat-Gout-Foot-Care.

If you are suffering from a gout attack or have damage to your great toe joint as a result of multiple gout attacks please contact our office to schedule an evaluation.

Citation

Gout as a risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke in England: evidence from record linkage studies. Olena O. Seminog and Michael J. Goldacre Rheumatology (2013) doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/ket293 First published online: September 17, 2013

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