The Difference Between Gout And Plantar Fasciitis

Content

• Managing A Gout Flare
• Is Gout Hereditary?
• Symptoms Of Ankle Gout
• Causes Of Gout
• Health & Wellness Tips
• Medical Management Current Best Evidence:
• How Can A Gout Attack Be Prevented?

The pain and swelling of gout are caused by uric acid crystals that deposit in the joint. Uric acid is a substance that normally forms when the body breaks down waste products called purines. Uric acid usually is dissolved in the blood and passes through the kidneys into the urine. In people with gout, the uric acid level in the blood is so high that uric acid crystals are deposited in joints and other tissues. When there is an overabundance of uric acid in the blood it is called gout.

Having been born with a rare condition that causes high blood uric acid levels. People with Kelley-Seegmiller syndrome or Lesch-Nyhan syndrome have a partial or complete deficiency in an enzyme that helps to control uric acid levels. Your doctor will ask you questions about where and how often you feel pain, your diet, medications, and much alcohol you drink. Your doctor will examine your feet for signs of redness, heat, and swelling to indicate gout. The good news is that treating it early, you can relieve pain and help prevent future problems. The disease can usually be treated with medication and proper diet.

Managing A Gout Flare

For example, a young man who reports bilateral heel pain and who has a history of conjunctivitis or urethritis for more than one month may have Reiter's disease. Similarly, heel pain in a patient with a history of psoriasis and asymmetric pain in the distal inter-phalangeal joints of the fingers and toes should raise the possibility of psoriatic arthritis. When heel pain is of systemic origin, treatment should, of course, be directed at the primary disease state.

What does a gout diet look like?

High-Purine Foods Include:Alcoholic beverages (all types)
Some fish, seafood and shellfish, including anchovies, sardines, herring, mussels, codfish, scallops, trout and haddock.
Some meats, such as bacon, turkey, veal, venison and organ meats like liver.

Gout flare-ups occur suddenly, with pain being most severe within the first four hours. A build-up of urate crystals in your joints causes inflammation and severe pain experienced during gout flare-ups. Unlike plantar fasciitis, gout is linked to arthritis and affects the joints, not the ligaments in the feet. Certain medications reduce the pain and inflammation of gout attacks, such as anti-inflammatory drugs , colchicine, and corticosteroids.

Is Gout Hereditary?

The affected joints are very tender, even to the lightest of touch. Without treatment, these symptoms may last for 5-10 days and weight bearing is very difficult. Recurrent flares may occur in the same joint or other joints of the upper or lower extremities. The goals of treatment of gout are to reduce the pain associated with acute attacks, to prevent future attacks from occurring, and to avoid the formation of tophi and kidney stones. The inflammation may be aggravated by shoes that lack appropriate support, especially in the arch area, and by the chronic irritation that sometimes accompanies an athletic lifestyle.

Bunions are caused when the bone at the joint moves and bends toward the other toes. The big toe may even overlap the others as this movement continues. At-home treatments including rest and icing may relieve the symptoms.

in the medial band of the plantar fascia, consistent with plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a ligament that lies beneath the skin on the bottom of your foot. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the strong band of tissue that supports the arch of your foot becomes irritated and inflamed.

This site is a valuable resource on the spectrum of arthritic disorders. Non-medication treatments for gout are important, such as staying off the foot when it is inflamed and attending to diet both to reduce purine intake and to lose weight when indicated. The main message of this review is to emphasize how dramatically effective standard medication is for gout, both in acute treatment and prevention. Many of my patients have explored a variety of non-traditional approaches to gout, often in combination with traditional measures. This involves having a pharmacist put together a solution of allopurinol of very low and then gradually increasing concentrations over the course of a month. Although at times the rash will reoccur during this process, often a patient can be desensitized in this way and subsequently tolerate allopurinol.

Although it can’t be cured, gout can be managed effectively with medicine and lifestyle changes. Our present agents, such as allopurinol and probenecid, are so effective, and reasonably safe and predictable, that it seems unlikely that they will be fully displaced in the future. However, there are a small but very important group of patients who cannot tolerate these present agents. The development of new uric acid-lowering treatments, with even fewer side-effects than our present agents, would be heartily welcomed.

Foods rich in purines include shellfish and organ meats, such as liver, brains, and kidneys. Researchers have reported that meat or seafood consumption increases the risk of gout attacks, while dairy consumption seemed to reduce this risk. Weight reduction can be helpful in lowering the risk of recurrent attacks of gout. In select cases, surgeons may perform a release of the lateral plantar nerve alongside the plantar fasciotomy.

Does The Location Of The Gout Attack Affect Treatment?

Some medicines, such as water pills , can also bring on gout. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. Pseudogout has similar symptoms and is sometimes confused with gout.

Health & Wellness Tips

A heel spur is a bony growth on the bottom of the heel bone caused by muscle or ligament strain or tearing of the membrane that covers the heel bone. Wear supportive shoes and avoid those with pointed or narrow toe boxes. Orthotics can help prevent the development of hammertoes or slow their progression. Custom-fitted orthotics to reduce symptoms and prevent worsening of the deformity.

Find out more here about how gout develops, how gout progresses through different stages, and how to treat gout to prevent symptoms, lower uric acid levels, and prevent long-term gout complications. Improperly treating gout can cause the disease to become more progressive. Over time, gout can begin to affect more joints throughout the body and cause problems like gout tophi and permanent bone damage. Gout can be controlled with prescription medications and diet, and ice helps alleviate pain and swelling during an acute phase.

How Can A Gout Attack Be Prevented?

Demographic surveys indicate 2 million patients receive treatment in the United States annually, comprising 1% of visits to orthopedists. AAOS does not endorse any treatments, procedures, products, or physicians referenced herein. This information is provided as an educational service and is not intended to serve as medical advice.