Joint Pain?

You might be suffering from gout.

Some people suffer for many years with unexplainable joint pain

without considering the possibility that it might be gout

Sometimes the symptoms are such that this is not immediately obvious.

If you suffer from joint pain you must watch this

Gout more often than not first presents in the big toe joint

The sufferer will often wake up in the middle of the night with a red, swollen, throbbing and incredibly

painful joint.

Your first ever gout attack may indeed be a typical attack, and you may have subsequent attacks that present in exactly the same way.

However it is possible to start experiencing symptoms that are not

so obviously gout

Gout can affect any joint.

Gout usually starts in the big toe, but it can move to your ankles,

knees, elbows, hands and other joints.

An early indicator might be that one or more joints start to become

tighter and less flexible.

At times they may swell up and sometimes even get hot and red.

The pain might subside after a week or so, and then be fine for weeks or

months at a time.

Another strange pain you might get is very sensitive fingers, just

between the top knuckle and the fingernail.

These can get quite red and very sensitive to the touch. You might be able to see little white spots inside

the red areas.

Stiff and sore elbows are another possible pain, sometimes accompanied by bursitis.

Bursitis is a condition where the fluid sacs (bursa) surrounding a joint

can swell up.

This can also be triggered by a bump on the elbow so might actually get passed off as an accidental knock,

when the cause might be gout.

Some people experience a range of these issues, and as they can seem

unrelated, they might never think to link them all together.

If you have had gout in the past and are experiencing joint pain in

multiple joints then it might be time to consider raising the possibility of

gout with your doctor.

Joint pain from gout can cause permanent damage

Gout is caused by an excess of uric acid in your system, which can mean

needle-shaped crystals form and deposit around your joints.

While these uric acid crystals are in your joints they are causing irritation

and damaging the tissue.

If you do not change the factors leading to a high uric acid level

then the urate crystals will continue to damage your joints

If you have ever had a gout attack in the past and continue to get joint

pain, it might be time to make some changes in your lifestyle.