Can You Get Gout In Your Big Toe

What Are The Symptoms Of High Uric Acid

Signs and Symptoms. High uric acid levels in the blood leads to gout. As per Mayo Clinic, as cited by Live Science, the associated signs and symptoms include joint redness, swelling, and tenderness, along with intense joint pain that is severe in the first 12 to 24 hours and lasts for a few days to weeks.

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Who Is Affected By Gout

Gout can affect anyone. It usually occurs earlier in men than women. It generally occurs after menopause in women. Men can be three times more likely than women to get it because they have higher levels of uric acid most of their lives. Women reach these uric acid levels after menopause.

People are more likely to get gout if they have:

• Obesity, or a lot of extra weight.

You are also more likely to develop gout if you:

• Consume a diet high in animal proteins
• Consume a significant amount of alcohol
• Are on water pills .

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Signs Your Pain Is Likely Gout And Not Something Else

If you develop sharp sudden pain in a single joint or a couple of joints, if the pain is so debilitating that it is hard to walk or wear shoes, and if you have risk factors for gout , theres good reason to suspect gout as the culprit. However, its important to see a doctor for a thorough exam and proper diagnosis.

Dr. FitzGerald cautions that issues unrelated to gout can cause an angry, inflamed joint. Gout may be confused with several other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, including:

• Pseudogout
• An infected joint
• Bacterial skin infection
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis

Pseudogout is caused by a different kind of crystal, calcium pyrophosphate. A flare of pseudogout can resemble gout, but it more often affects your wrist and knee, and is unlikely to involve the big toe. Like gout, pseudogout is also considered a form of inflammatory arthritis. Its more likely to affect people over the age of 40 and those who have a thyroid condition, kidney failure, or disorder that affects calcium, phosphate, or iron metabolism, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Its also possible to have gout without the classic presentation of red, hot, sharp, burning, sudden pain in the big toe, foot, ankle, or knee. Some patients may have joint pain that is less acute.

People can also have high levels of uric acid but not develop symptoms of gout.

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Treating And Preventing Gout Pain

Gout pain is generally treated in two ways:

• Medications to relieve gout attacks in the short-term
• Preventive medications taken regularly to lower uric acid and stop gout attacks from occurring

While inflammation-fighting drugs are used to relieve pain during gout flares, different medicines are used to lower uric acid levels to prevent future attacks. These include:

• Allopurinol
• Probenecid

Another medication called pegloticase may be recommended for people with chronic gout who have not responded to other uric acid-lowering medication.

While many people with gout can be treated by their primary care physician, if gout is not responding to medication or is progressing with worsening or frequent flares or developing tophi gout deposits, then your primary care physician may refer you to see a rheumatologist who specializes in treating diseases that affect joints, muscles, bones and the immune system.

Taking medication to reduce uric acid levels and reduce the risk of gout progression is important, Dr. FitzGerald stresses. If you have risk factors for bad gout, such as kidney disease, or are experiencing frequent attacks, early treatment is better.

What Are Future Possible Treatments Of Gout

Fortunately, present medications are successful in the vast majority of gout patients. But some patients cannot tolerate our present arsenal of gout medications. For others, these agents are not sufficiently effective. Therefore, new treatments are continually being sought. Some of the more promising include anakinra, rilonacept, canakinumab, BCX4208 and arhalofenate.

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S Of The Gout For Better Understanding

Heres few pictures of the gout!

If you have pain, swelling and redness at the base of the great toe then most likely it is due to gout. It not only affects this joint but initially it may affect small joints of fingers of hand and leg, in the later stage, it may also affect large joints such as the ankle, knee wrist and elbow joint.

Gout happens due to increased blood uric acid level. Pharmacological management focuses on controlling the blood uric acid level but being a physiotherapist I will also suggest few home tips and exercises that will prevent the joint swelling, pain and most important is joint stiffness.

So, lets get started.

How To Treat Gout In The Big Toe

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How To Stop Gout Pain In Big Toe: What You Must Know

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Joints Affected By Gout

Gout can affect any joint, but some joints are more likely to be affected than others. Joints commonly affected include the big toe, the foots instep, heel, ankle, and knee.2 Less often, gout affects the elbow, wrist, fingertips, or spine.2–7

Gout is acute, painful swelling in the joints from uric acid buildup. Common areas include the foot and big toe.

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How Long Do Your Gout Attacks Last

In conclusion, you can see that there is never a fixed time that a gout attack lasts. But, you can take steps to protect different parts of your body.

However, the most important thing is to get your uric acid under control. Then, you will never have to worry about gout again. So, if you want to reduce the time that gout attacks last, you can get more help from experienced gout sufferers.

Lifestyle Changes Can Make Gout Attacks Less Likely

When you consider how much pain gout causes, it makes sense to try and prevent the problem flaring up. A key approach is to consume fewer foods and drinks containing high levels of purines, substances that lead to a uric acid build-up. A low-purine diet means avoiding beer, rich meats such as bacon, pork and liver, as well as many types of fish, seafood and shellfish.

The link between gout and over-indulgence is why the condition was known historically as the rich mans disease. Being a healthy weight, drinking plenty of water to flush out uric acid and exercising regularly can all help you to avoid gout attacks.

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How Are Gout Attacks Prevented

Maintaining adequate fluid intake helps prevent acute gout attacks and decreases the risk of kidney stone formation in people with gout. Alcohol is known to have diuretic effects that can contribute to dehydration and precipitate acute gout attacks. Alcohol can also affect uric acid metabolism and cause hyperuricemia. It causes gout by slowing down the excretion of uric acid from the kidneys as well as by causing dehydration, which precipitates the crystals in the joints.

What To Do During An Attack

You should:

• take any medication you’ve been prescribed as early as possible after you notice an attack this should start to have an effect within two or three days
• rest and raise the limb
• avoid knocking or damaging the affected joint
• keep the joint cool remove surrounding clothing and apply an ice pack, such as a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel
• ensure you’re well hydrated

Apply the ice pack to your joint for around 20 minutes. Don’t apply ice directly to your skin and don’t apply it for more than 20 minutes at a time because this could damage the skin.

If necessary, you can keep reapplying an ice pack to your skin during an attack, but you should wait until your skin has returned to a normal temperature first.

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What Does The Future Hold For Gout

Active research is ongoing in a variety of fields related to gout and hyperuricemia. Scientists have found that high animal protein slightly increased the risk for gout. New drugs are being developed that may be more versatile and safe in treating the elevated uric acid levels in patients with chronic gout.

What Is Turf Toe

Turf toe, or hyperextension, is when you bend your big toe too far toward the top of your foot. It can cause a sprain of your toe or your ligaments surrounding it. Turf toe is a kind of metatarsophalangeal joint sprain, which means that at least one of your joints connecting your toe to the rest of your foot is injured.

Turf toe can happen during any sport or activity when your forefoot is on the ground with your heel up, and then you are pushed into a position of hyperextension of your toe. It most often occurs among football players on artificial grass. This is because the turf is harder and not as shock absorbent. Turf shoes also often have less protection in the forefoot because they tend to be more flexible.

Treatment for turf toe depends on the severity of the injury, which ranges from grade 1 to 3:

• Grade 1. Treatment for grade 1 turf toe involves the RICE method, which can be done at home, along with taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . You can return to sports once you can tolerate this level of activity.
• Grade 2. Grade 2 treatment focuses on improving your symptoms, which may include wearing a walking boot and partial weight-bearing. An MRI may be done to get a better idea of the extent of your injury.
• Grade 3. Grade 3 injuries may require 8 or more weeks of recovery and immobilization, and sometimes even surgery.

• joint pain or stiffness
• being unable to move your toe typically
• redness, discoloration, or swelling around your toe and joint

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How Is Gout Treated

When you have a gout attack, pain relief is your first goal. Its important to call your doctor even if the pain has stopped. The uric acid buildup that triggered your gout attack may still be irritating your joints and could eventually cause seriousdamage, like joint destruction and kidney damage.

Your doctor may:

• Give you a shot of corticosteroids to ease discomfort quickly
• Prescribe a long-term medication that can prevent and even reverse uric acid buildup
• Recommend lifestyle changes or alternative treatments

Theres a lot you can do on your own to ease symptoms:

• Rest the affected joint until the attack passes and for 24 hours after the attack.
• Elevate painful joints.
• Use ice to reduce swelling.
• Relieve inflammation with NSAIDS . Avoid aspirin, which can worsen symptoms.
• Limit alcohol, especially beer and hard liquor.
• Cut back on meat and seafood, which can raise uric acid levels.
• Follow a moderate exercise program.
• Control your weight. Being overweight increases your risk for gout.

How Long Does Gout Last With Mobility

Now, staying mobile during gout attacks is contentious. Because rest helps some gout sufferers whilst others like to keep moving. But leaving that aside, there is a separate issue about mobility. This especially applies if you spend long periods in a set position. Because uric acid crystals tend to collect at low points and cold points. So, if you have a sitting job, make an effort to keep lightly exercising in your seat, and getting up regularly to walk around.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Gout In The Ankle

The main symptom of gout in the ankle is pain and discomfort in the surrounding area. Keep in mind that gout is often unpredictable, regardless of the joint its affecting. You might go weeks or even months without any symptoms, only to wake up with a burning pain in your ankle.

In some cases, gout starts out in one of your big toes before moving on to other areas, such as your ankle. Over time, these flare-ups may last longer than they previously did.

Other symptoms you might feel from gout in your ankle include:

• tenderness

Is There A Test For Gout

There is no one test for gout, and its symptoms are similar to several different conditions. To see if you have gout, your health care provider may:

• Ask you to provide your medical history, including:
• Your symptoms.
• Any other medical problems you have.
• Any medications you are taking.

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Pain And Swelling Are Gouts Calling Cards

The most frequent signs of a gout attack are swelling, tenderness, redness, and a sharp pain in your big toe. These attacks are most common at night when you are sitting still and laying flat on your back. While gout usually manifests in the big toe, you may also experience gout attacks in your foot, ankle, or knees. The attacks can be short or long, anywhere from a few days to weeks and you may not have another attack may for months or years.

The Pathology Of Gout

Gout is primarily a metabolic disorder in which uric acid accumulates in blood and tissues. When tissue levels reach saturation, needle-like crystals form, causing inflammation. This occurs most commonly in the cooler joints, notably the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe.

Many people with hyperuricemia never develop gout, but those with the highest levels are most likely to suffer episodes. Hyperuricemia may also lead to kidney stones.

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Common Myths About Gout

Drinking too much alcohol and eating too much rich food were once considered the prime suspects in causing gout. Although eating certain foods and drinking alcohol may cause uric acid levels to spike, these habits alone may not cause gout.

A recent study indicates that our DNA is a key factor in gout flare-ups. Researchers found that diet was less important than genetics in determining whether or not patients would develop high levels of uric acid.

If you suspect you have gout, make an appointment with your doctor to be tested and learn how to prevent or reduce future gout attacks.

Who Should Diagnose And Treat Gout

The disease should be diagnosed and treated by a doctor or a team of doctors who specialize in care of gout patients. This is important because the signs and symptoms of gout are not specific and can look like signs and symptoms of other inflammatory diseases. Doctors who specialize in gout and other forms of arthritis are called rheumatologists. To find a provider near you, visit the database of rheumatologistsexternal icon on the American College of Rheumatology website. Once a rheumatologist has diagnosed and effectively treated your gout, a primary care provider can usually track your condition and help you manage your gout.

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