Gout Specialist

Foot Healers

Podiatrists located in Brentwood, Chesterfield, Creve Coeur, St. Peters, & Webster, MO

Gout affects about 4% of adults in the United States, with men being three times more likely to be afflicted than women. To best manage this form of arthritis, seek the expert medical services of the team at Foot Healers with locations in Brentwood, Chesterfield, Creve Coeur, St. Peters, and Shrewsbury, Missouri. They can mitigate the pain and discomfort that are the hallmarks of gout. To learn more about treating gout, call or set up an appointment using the online booking tool.

Gout Q & A

What is gout?

There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, and gout is one of the most common. Gout is an inflammatory disease that is caused by a buildup of uric acid in your body. That leads to the formation of sharp crystals inside your joints, usually in your big toe.

What are the symptoms of gout?

The symptoms of gout are hard to ignore because they typically come on in the form of an attack, or flare-up. The hallmark of gout is pain in the joint in your big toe, which can also be accompanied by:

Inflammation
Tenderness
Redness
Increasing stiffness in the joint

A gout attack may last for days or weeks, and the first 12 hours are usually the worst in terms of pain. Once the symptoms subside, you may never have another attack. However, an estimated 60% of people who have a gout flare-up experience another one inside of a year. More sobering still is the fact that a full 84% of people who’ve had a gout attack have another one within three years.

How is gout treated?

When you see the team at Foot Healers they sit down with you to review your symptoms and conduct a few tests. Once they determine that gout is the underlying cause of your discomfort, they help you find relief from the pain with anti-inflammatory medications and corticosteroid injections.

When it comes to long-term treatment of gout, the team comes up with a suitable treatment plan for your unique situation, starting with your diet. Your body produces uric acid to break down purines, so you’d do well to avoid foods that are rich in purine, such as shellfish and red meat.

Another big risk factor in gout is weight. If you carry extra pounds, losing weight helps you avoid gout attacks in the future. You should also limit alcohol use since drinking more than 2-3 drinks a day leaves you vulnerable to a gout flare-up.

If you’re plagued by gout, call Foot Healers for expert intervention or use the online scheduling tool to set up an appointment.

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