Scott M. Neville, DPM
Podiatric Surgeon, Foot & Ankle Center of Mooresville
A patient came to my office recently complaining of intense foot pain. He said he went to bed feeling fine and woke up with pain so severe he couldn’t stand the pressure of his sheets, much less put weight on his foot. He didn’t remember any trauma but his foot was now red, hot, and swollen.
It was a classic gout flare. Gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis, is caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints that can lead to sudden, intense pain in your feet, and swollen joints that may become red and/or hot.
Statistics show that more than 8 million Americans suffer from gout and more than half of gout flares start in the big toe.
There’s hope
The good news is that a podiatrist can treat gout quickly and effectively. Our treatments help return most patients to their normal quality of life.
It is important to catch gout early and manage it effectively. Left untreated, gout can cause uric acid deposits in organs like your kidneys, leading to kidney stones. The uric acid crystals building up in your joints may create tophi, or lumps that can interfere with joint function.
My patient received a quick and painless examination in my office and was given a prescription for medication along with an order for lab work. Within 24 hours, his pain had completely resolved.
At his follow-up visit, we discussed the body-wide ramifications of ignoring his urate problem and we discussed a long-term plan for gout management.
This is a common scenario that plays out in podiatry offices around the country every day. As I often tell my patients, “You can manage your gout or your gout can manage you.”
See your podiatrist today and we’ll manage this together!