Contents:
- Medical Video: What’s Causing your Foot Pain?
- What causes gout?
- Does upper foot pain include symptoms of gout?
- If not for gout, what causes upper foot pain?
- Tips for managing the symptoms of gout everyday
Medical Video: What’s Causing your Foot Pain?
Gout is generally experienced by the elderly, but that does not mean if you are young then free from gout. Symptoms of gout are characterized by swollen and painful joints in the body. Many people who think that experiencing upper leg pain when walking is also a sign of gout. Is that right?
What causes gout?
Gout is actually a natural compound produced by the body. As long as uric acid levels in the body are normal, you will not experience problems. But when the levels rise, then it can trigger disease. Uncontrolled high uric acid can even cause permanent damage to your joints and kidneys.
The cause of gout becomes problematic is the intake of foods high in purines. The higher the purine content of the food you eat, the more the body releases gout. Gout is usually rinsed by the kidneys to get out of the body along with urine. But excess purine in the blood will convert the remaining uric acid into crystals, which will accumulate around the joints and other soft tissues of the body. As a result the joints and muscles affected become rheumatic or painful.
Does upper foot pain include symptoms of gout?
Inflammation caused by excessive uric acid levels usually attacks the joints in the fingers, wrists and feet, to the knees and / or elbows. However, symptoms of gout in the legs usually do not start from the sole of the foot (foot).
Gout can cause the foot to feel painful when walking due to swollen joints. But the source of the pain is not from the sole of the upper foot, but the thumb (big toe). Pain in the legs due to gout can also come from the ankle joints, arches (lower feet), heels and knees. Areas that experience ‘attacks’ of uric acid will become swollen, feel hot, reddish, painful, and feel stiff. These symptoms of gout in the joints of the legs can cause you to experience foot pain in the upper part when walking.
If not for gout, what causes upper foot pain?
Apart from gout, the onset of pain in the upper sole of the foot can be caused by many things. The most common is because foot joints are used too often for activities, such as running, jumping, or kicking (symptoms of tendonitis or sinus tars syndrome). It could also be due to wearing shoes that are cramped, or certain physical injuries to the leg bones.
Other conditions that can cause upper foot pain include bone spurs and peripheral neuropathy.
Tips for managing the symptoms of gout everyday
If you do experience gout, lifestyle changes to be healthier are the key to controlling the severity of the symptoms. Here is what you can do every day so that the attack of gout does not recur:
- Reduce intake of high purine foods, such as liver, offal, salted fish, sardines, crabs, shrimp, shellfish, and red meat. Limit eating portions of chicken, asparagus, spinach, and duck meat that have moderate levels of purine.
- Keep your weight healthy, or reduce weight by dieting if you are overweight. Weight loss can help reduce uric acid levels and reduce attacks of gout.
- Stop consuming alcohol
- Limit your intake of foods or drinks with sweeteners, such as soft drinks, syrups, juices with flavorings and fruit sweeteners (not using real fruit), because these sweeteners can increase your risk of gout.
- Consume 1.5 liters of water per day.
- Expand to consume vegetables and fruit
- Try taking drugs that can reduce your uric acid levels, such as allopurinol. However, consult a doctor first before taking it to find out the right dose for you. Allopurinol should not be taken on an empty stomach.
- Take painkillers to cure symptoms of gout attacks, such as cholcicine.
- You can also raise your legs with pain and cool them to relieve the pain.
