Long Tom

Well...... dunno for sure but I may be experiencing an episode of gout in my left big toe joint. I sprained the underside of the toe demo'ing my well house about a week ago, then, a day or two later the joint where the toe meets the foot kinda exploded in an inflammation & pain nightmare.

I've injured that joint in the past (hoops) and didn't really think much of it, other than "OUCH!", but then my ever-vigilant wife pointed out that this is a classic presentation of gout. And damned if she isn't right, says my googling. Of course it could also be what I first suspected- a previously-injured joint getting pulled out of alignment by a sprain and blowing up in arthritis.

Anyway, ignoring the broader implications of gout for a moment, my first priority is to get my foot right again. I've been icing it and taking NSAID's (ibuprofen). I've also mumble mumble continued to ride my 40-50 miles mumble every other day, which drives my wife crazy. Thing is, I'm on a ROLL with my riding; this has been my inaugural road-biking summer and now that I've worked through the initial aches and pains of ramping up, my body feels great when I ride, and I've been hammering pretty hard. I'm getting nice and lean. I really, really, really don't want to stop.

Riding doesn't hurt the joint per se, as I'm not really flexing my foot, but 3+ hours in a bike shoe does irritate the situation. Can't deny it.

So, my fellow obsessed denizens of the 41, any of you guys ever dealt with gout in a toe joint? What worked to end the attack? And you better not say "rest" or I'll jump right through this iPhone screen with a can of whupass! Not that I can jump for crap right now. Lol.

All the best and thanks as always.

gregbj8

I have gout at times caused by shellfish and beer . It is caused by to much uric acid in our bodies. The key to avoiding it is LOTS of water to dilute the uric acid and in my case staying away from the shellfish and beer. Which it does strike I take Indomethacin which is an Rx anti-inflammatory.

Long Tom

Shellfish = easy

Beer = hard

.... but you meant, avoid shellfish and beer at the same time.. Right?

I must say, there's been times where the pain from this has bordered on the unreal.

Did you keep cycling through it? Am I an idiot for doing so?

freedomrider1

I have not had this , however do a google for the use of pure cherry juice in dealing with gout and inflamation.

Jseis 

Been there. Cut the uric acid sources, drink lots of water. My left big toe joint is enlarged a bit. Rest is good. Gout can be totally debilitating. Can take 3-5 weeks+ to subside. Rest helps avoid swelling and tissue damage.

gc3

getting old is a bee-otch....

Bacciagalupe

Medical diagnosis over the Internets is always a good idea. Not....

If it's a problem, go see a doctor, and find out what's really wrong.

bbattle

Simple blood test should tell if you have gout.

I have the same symptoms in my big left toe joint; but more in the ball of the foot behind the big toe. Sometimes I can barely feel it, other times it's like needles being jabbed in there.

I figured I'd just pulled the ligaments and a doctor would tell me to just lay off the foot awhile and take some aspirin. So I've put up with it for the past three years. Doesn't hurt at all while riding, just walking.

uptight

I'm a long time gout sufferer. I take allopurinol daily to control the uric acid levels. When an attack comes I ramp up the colychris (sp?) to flush the uric acid. It usually takes a week to get over an attack. Drinking plenty of water is one of the better and easier ways to prevent gout attacks. I can ride my bike while suffering an attack as long as I can put my cycling shoes on and the pain is tolerable.

Long Tom

Uptight, do you find that riding slows down the healing process?

I'll limp around... I'll suffer.... I just don't want to stop riding. I've really hit a nice place with the riding- don't want to backslide.

rousseau

I got it two years ago. Had two attacks. Haven't had any since. For me the culprit was beef, as I don't drink very much alcohol. Too much steak on the barbecue did me in.

Here's some advice: buy a sack full of lemons, squeeze as much lemon juice as you can stand into a tall glass of water, and drink. Then drink again. Then drink some more. Seriously, along with cutting out the triggers that'll take care of any gout.

Long Tom

That, sir, is the truth!

To you young bucks reading this: don't let silly things like career or responsibility keep you from going after the athletic parts of life HARD. This is your time, lads! Oh, and bang lots of hottie tail. You'll appreciate the memories later in life.


Part of what annoys me about this is the medieval nature of the whole thing. Biblical. What's next- goiters? Bubos? A plague of locusts? Ugh.

shelbyfv

I had a gout attack on a 7 day bike tour a few years ago. I continued to ride but had to first clip my shoe into the pedal, then put my foot in the shoe. The worst was seeing at breakfast the enormous piles of sausage and bacon that I knew I shouldn't eat. Drink lots of liquids, read up on which foods to avoid and take lots of whatever meds you like. I use Alleve. I don't think ice helps much. BTW, my doctor told me the test involves sticking a big needle into the inflamed joint to draw off fluid which is tested for uric acid crystals. Apparently it is so painful that it's rarely done!

dtrain

Wooderson...or was that one of Dawson's lines?

stilltooslow

LOL. And don't forget scurvy....

Any malady still referred to with 'the' in front (the gout) as this one sometimes is, seems like it should have been eliminated many years ago!

fried bake

another sufferer here. the only other thing i can add is that you must force yourself to HYDRATE WELL, especially when you're training hard. i find that even with the allupurinol and colchris, it doesn't go away unless i drink tons during and after workouts.

the other thing is once you have it, it pops up in the damdest places, so keep an eye out for that. i thought i had suffered a knee injury from cycling and after several tests and hobbling around with a cane, it turned out that it was gout.

pure cherry juice is very good (although expensive,) as well.

Long Tom

I know not of what you speak. I said it in all sincerity and drawn from my own life experiences.

Mmmm.... hottie tail memories...

(side note: this whole notion falls apart when you have daughters in high school. I can't even look at young women anymore without feeling like a perv!)

RE: hydration. I do believe this is part of what caused this. I've been riding hard in the heat and doing lots of hills. Very possible I ran myself to a sub-optimal hydration level in general without realizing it. I'm hydrating today like crazy.

Anyone try baking soda?

Jed19

Long Tom, you need to be sure that that you do have gout before doing gout remedies/treatment. You did mention that you injured your toe, so how can gout be the issue? I ask because I had a similar experience about twenty-five years ago. I had screwed up by driving from Las Vegas to SoCal wearing flip-flops. Of course the middle toe on my right foot swelled up, became painful, and everybody and their mother told me I have gout. I went to a podiatrist, who told me all I had was a ligament strain of some kind. He shot some steroids right under the toe, and I have not had any issue with that toe ever.

So make sure gout is what you have before effecting gout remedies!

uptight

In my experience I don't think riding slows the healing process. Now, I'm not advising you to keep riding...go see a medical professional. Hope it clears up soon.

rousseau

Definitely get checked out by a doctor, but the only remedy for gout once you have an attack is lots of hydration (especially with lemons) and cutting out the offending foods and drinks, so the treatment isn't a big deal. Of course, once the attack recedes your doctor may suggest going on medication, but you can't start the medication while you have the inflammation.

Long Tom

Lemons... for the vitamin C sans sugar, or what?

I drink a lot of diluted orange juice on ice, but I suppose lemons have mojo that oranges don't, or you wouldn't be so specific about the lemons.

rousseau

Just google gout and lemons. There's tons of info on this. Here's one search result:

Machka 

I have arthritis in that joint, on my right foot. I know I have arthritis because I've been for a foot X-ray and bone degeneration was obvious.


Go get your foot X-rayed and find out what's wrong for sure ... instead of guessing.

dtrain

It's similar to a Dawson line from Dazed and Confused (language NSFW):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls_8cFgBUj4

JerrySTL

When I had my first gout attack, I got up in the middle of the night and went to the ER. When I had my heart attack, I went to the ER the next day. Gout hurts that much. I've broken 8 bones over the years, and I'd say that gout hurts worse than half of them.

I cut my alcohol consumption in half. I avoid shellfish. I also avoid peas and beans. This doesn't mean that I don't have the occasional shrimp dinner or refried beans with my burrito; however, I space things out. I'm fortunate that I've been able to control my gout just by diet. If I even feel a twinge of gout coming on, I go into the good diet mode for a few days. Both cranberry and dark cherry juices are suppose to be beneficial in reducing gout attacks.

Medicines: If you are on a diuretic to control blood pressure or something else, talk to your doctor ASAP. Getting dehydrated can kick off a gout attack. I found out the hard way.

Cycling: As I mentioned above, getting dehydrated is bad. Drink more than you think you need before, during, and after the ride.
Cycling shoes have a stiff sole and I've been able to ride gently while having a minor gout attack.

Remember that the damage done from gout can be cumulative. If you keep getting gout in the same toe, eventually it's going to wear out that joint. Heck you might even have some gout going on and not notice it. So avoid getting gout.