According to our Rockville, MD, podiatrist, gout affects over six million Americans. While doctors don’t yet know what causes this disease, certain factors such as male gender, family history, nutrition, and specific diseases play a significant role in gout’s development and progression. Read more to learn information about risk factors, symptoms, and what you can do at home if you have a flare up.
While the foods we eat and digest eventually produce uric acid, normal kidney function acts as a filter to get rid of any excess. People with gout have abnormal amounts of uric acid in their blood and tissues that can cause solid crystals to form within their joints – their bodies either produce extra uric acid, or their kidneys do not function properly to remove it.
Our Rockville podiatrist cautions that the symptoms of gout can resemble an injury – redness, swelling, and severe joint pain – but without you having experienced any trauma to the affected area. While gout can impact any one of your joints, such as the knee, elbow, or wrist, the most common place is in the base of your big toe. That’s why our experienced podiatrist in Rockville is often the health care provider who treats patients suffering from gout pain.
Patients can help prevent gout’s painful flare-ups with certain lifestyle changes, advises our Rockville, MD, podiatrist. For example, research shows that some foods, alcoholic beverages, and stress can raise levels of uric acid in the body, so by limiting these factors, patients can help reduce the severity or frequency of these painful episodes.
If you experience a painful episode of gout in one of your joints, our podiatrist suggests that you get relief from your symptoms by trying the following
Don’t let gout interfere with your life and the activities you love – our experienced foot care team at The Podiatry Center can help! Our podiatrist in Rockville, MD, will discuss a treatment plan to help manage and improve gout’s painful symptoms.
The information provided in this article is not meant to be medical advice and is for educational purposes only. If you would like to learn more about foot-friendly gifts or other topics related to podiatry, feel free to contact The Podiatry Center, with a convenient podiatry office near Rockville, MD, by clicking here or by calling 301.656.6055.