Gout Symptoms in the Big Toe

Symptoms of gout in the big toe are the classic portrayal of gout disease. The unspeakable pain is what gout is famous for. While big toe gout is the most common, ankle gout, and attacks in the feet and hands are also frequently reported.

The most important concept to learn quickly about gout symptoms in the toes is to act quickly and neutralize the acidic event that is happening throughout the body. All too often, the focus is only on the pain-causing uric acid – it is important to realize that gout is just a part of an overly acidic inner body condition. This is the result of waning or temporary poor kidney function.

What You Need to Know About Gout

Gout is not “caused” by uric acid.  Gout is caused by the liver and kidneys inability to process and eliminate the uric acid.

Gout “pain” is caused by uric acid. It crystallizes in the big toe joint or others, and causes intense pain due to inflammation. Microscopically, the crystals resemble shards of glass. They lodge themselves in-between the joints and in the connective tissues.

Uric acid is produced by the body and used as a protective antioxidant. It is created by the breakdown of a substance called purines. Purine is manufactured by the cells of the body itself, and it is also part of the cells that make up all food sources.

A contributing factor of uric acid becoming too excessive, can be from eating foods high in purine content. Generally meats and beans are very high in purines but they are not the only way that uric acid becomes abundant in the blood and progresses into a problem.

Environmental toxins, stress, poor sleep and lack of exercise can also bring about impaired kidney function. It is the kidneys that balance the pH of the body chemistry. When gout symptoms are present in the big toe, the body chemistry is out of balance, meaning the kidneys are not functioning as well as they normally do.

The mounting pain of gout intensifies as more and more uric acid continues to crystallize the joint. Taking measures to keep uric acid in solution and work to dissolve the uric acid that has crystallized is the most effective course of treatment for gout.

The First Signs of Gout in the Toes

The onset of a gout attack starts with a slight twinge of pain or a persistent ache in the big toe or any of the joints. Everyone has momentary aches and pains but when the symptoms of gout become apparent in the big toe, it is critical to take action immediately.

For those who are new to the disease of gout, these little aches and pains go by unnoticed, but soon have serious consequences.

Loss of Mobility

If methods of alkalizing are not quickly taken advantage of, the gouty big toe starts to stiffen. This can take a matter of a few hours or it can come on rather quickly. It’s been reported many times that people wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning, with a vicious gout attack.

The pain can be so horrendous that even the bed sheet on top of the big toe can magnify the searing pain. The morning trip to the bathroom turns into a major ordeal and a day’s work is quickly lost.

Swelling

The inflammation and swelling that ensues can be nearly unimaginable. The metatarsal phalangeal joint – the joint at the base of the big toe – can become so incredibly painful as the swelling engulfs the entire big toe and sometimes much of the foot and other toes.

Hot-to-the-Touch

Once again, without the intervention of alkalizing methods, the progression becomes a torturous nightmare for the person experiencing the attack. The accompanying gout symptoms in the big toe is extreme redness and heat as confirmed by the Mayo Clinic. The skin and entire area becomes very tight, shiny, and hot to the touch, and even general fever can be possible.

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Treatment for Gout

There are five basic alkalizing measures that can start to reverse the acidic gouty event:

1. Mix baking soda and water together and drink (for detailed instructions, go here)
2. Take a large doses of vitamin C, the brand Emergen-C comes in 1000mg packets
3. Soak the joint in Epsom salts and warm water – then wrap in a towel with icepacks – alternate this method several times.
4. Take advantage of alkalizing, high antioxidant foods like bananas, cherries or high quality cherry juice, apples, and celery
5. Breathe – when blood oxygen saturation drops, the blood becomes too acidic with uric acid – full, measured, and complete breathing exercises will reverse that condition

Preventing Big Toe Gout

Gout symptoms in the big toe can be avoided in the future by consistently doing three things:

1. Practice strong breathing techniques everyday
2. Stay completely hydrated at all times
3. Eat a simple diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats and ALWAYS avoid processed foods of every kind

Remember!
When gout symptoms in the big toe make an appearance, start the process of alkalizing as quickly as possible.