Big Toe Joint still very sore to touch

[Scott Jeffrey]

I’m a long time gout and pseudo gout sufferer. Recently I staved off a gout attack with colchicine but I have a dime-sized area on the outside portion of my big toe joint that is still extremely sore to the touch. Unlike my regular gout attacks which make it difficult to walk, this is different in that walking in stocking feet is no problem, shoes hurt a lot. I started taking Celebrex (which worked on a similar incident on my elbow three years ago) but the toe doesn’t seem to be improving. Has anyone else had a similar experience? It’s been nearly two weeks since the toe got sore in that one small area, should I be concerned with this? It’s not as debilitating as a full outbreak, but it makes it so I can’t run or workout or wear dress shoes. Could the joint just be damaged from my many gout attacks? If so, what’s the treatment? Thanks again!

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Gouty swelling in toe stops running and workout

[Bruce C. Justice]

Big toe soreness

I had what certainly appeared to be a gout attack almost 2 weeks ago. Big toe joint got inflamed and red, tender to the touch, and a couple of days of aching like a tooth ache. However, it was not super tender to the touch like I have heard about. Had blood tests a week and a half later with uric acid levels at 6.2 (normal). Gout in the family. So two weeks later and the toe is still very sore and not as bad as during the attack but still makes walking difficult especially when I put on my work boots.
Is this normal and I’m just wondering how long before this soreness will go away.

[nobody]

Not knowing what causes this soreness, I can’t guess when it might go away. Anyway, it’s encouraging that there has been some improvement.
As you probably know, there are drugs which help with inflammation though they would have worked better if you had taken them earlier.

About blood tests, they have some limitations. First, if you had higher uric acid in the past (for instance because of a different diet or lifestyle), you could have gout attacks in spite of negative blood tests. Second, there’s some noise in test results and so you’ll need to repeat that test and see if you keep getting similar values.
If you keep having gout-like symptoms in spite of test results such as 6.2 and you don’t have a good reason to suspect you might have had higher uric acid in the past, it may be advisable to see a specialist which could rule out less common causes of joint inflammation.

[nobody]

This isn’t typical of gout but you can develop less typical symptoms if you don’t treat your gout. This sounds like it could be a minor attack at a different location within (or adjacent to) the joint than you’re used to. It would still be prudent to get your foot checked by a doctor in case you’ve broken a small bone or something.
The treatment you need in any case is to lower your uric acid. What value did your latest blood test come back with?

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Swollen big toes for 5 months… GOUT?

Like the title says, my big toes have been swollen for about 5 months.

I injured my right big toe doing renovations and it didn’t hurt a whole lot at the time, but the next morning… oh wow. It’s the most pain I’ve ever felt. Any movement, a cough, a breeze was enough to cause pain. Then, my other toe got progressively worse. At first, it seemed to start acting up without any injury at all.

Fast forward a few months, and my knees, ankles, right shoulder, thumb, wrist, and fingers were all inflamed. After a month of prednisone, I’m mostly back to normal… except for my toes.

Could it be gout? I thought that gout eventually went away, but I’m looking for answers. Maybe it’s chronic. I have no idea.

I used to be a fairly heavy drinking if that helps. 375ml of rum a night. It has been a month and a half since drinking.

[nobody]

These aren’t typical gout symptoms. It usually develops slowly, affecting the feet for years before moving on to causing inflammation all over the place (and normally it would only affect one location at a time).
Some people get unusual gout symptoms of course. Alcoholism (as well as reducing dramatically one’s consumption) could contribute to an unusual evolution of the disease I guess.
But I think you should try to rule out other diseases before assuming these symptoms are caused by gout. Ideally, a skilled hand would take fluid from an inflamed joint to confirm that you have gout. A DECT scan might be a more reliable alternative to detect uric acid crystals if you are lucky enough to have access to that.
Normally the first thing to do would be to get a uric acid blood test which is quicky and easy but in your situation it could yield a false negative and would in any case not confirm gout. Still, the test is so cheap that I would recommend you get such a test done ASAP. Just don’t assume the result will be definitive so try to schedule a rheumatologist appointment and get ready for more tests.

[Joe Salviolo]

I understand. I’ve had the exact issue, my toe is hurting as we speak but the demanding pain that has been there for over a week is in a dime size spot in my foot below my big toe. I can’t run or even walk. No workout to stay healthy. It’s crazy and depressing. I’ve been taking time off of work to fix this. I got my first gout attack 6 months ago and it’s too much. I feel your frustration…

[nobody]

Hi Joe!
Unfortunately fixing gout often takes a long time. But the sooner you start, the better.
You can try to mask the symptoms with heavy anti-inflammatory doses and colchicine so as to get back on your feet quickly but in the long run, controlling uric acid is what matters.
Because that can take a long time, it could be worth your while to find ways to exercise a bit which are very gentle on whichever foot is currently affected. There are a few things you can do at home even if you don’t have room for a gym-type contraption but perhaps you could get to a gym with the help of crutches.

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