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I'm not having a flare up, but at the end of my gait, right as I bend the big toe up and put much of my weight on it, it hurts. Both toes. Some days one more than the other. I don't really understand the mechanics of what is going on.
This is how my toes were on an off for the better part of 2 years and then last November, I had a major flare up and walked with a cane for months. Finally got on Uloric in January and got my UA levels down below 5. The last few weeks I'm off the cane and doing better than I have in months, but still have this pain at the end of my step. My rheumatologist says he does not think its permanent damage and that I will be able to get back 100% mobility, but I don't really understand it.
Every gout attack leaves behind some residual damage and probably some urate crystals covered in scar tissue, so it is not completely surprising to always feel the joint is not quite the way it was.
With time perhaps the joint can be restored 99% and we can almost believe it was never attacked.
So all you can do is watch and wait. Every day on uloric is a step in the right direction.
My big attack was amost 20 years ago and still I can see that my right bunion joint is ever so slightly bigger than my right.
I agree with zip2play and would like to share my experience. I got gout attack 10 months back. I was almost immobile for couple of months and then on post op shoes for few weeks. Though my swelling went away when I started taking Allopurinol but there was pain at the end of the step. I was not able to wear dress shoes because of this pain. It lasted for about 6-7 months and then it started going away. I do not have any pain now at the end of the step for last 2 months. I got MRI done and it showed no bone or joint damage. So, watch and wait, it should go away. Best of luck!
I also have some pain in my toe area, although it seems to diminish a little each day. My attack was 2/18/10, and it left me immobile for 5 weeks. Just in the last couple of weeks, I've been able to put a shoe on that foot, only after I went and bought new ones with a wide toe area. I guess it takes time, like it did for gout to build up in our systems.
Thanks all. I appreciate the help and am finding gradual improvement. I went to a massage therapist for low back pain related to the limping from gout and she said that 4 months on a cane can cause the muscles and tendons to atrophy some. She worked out some of the muscles in my foot and I found that helped too. So, perhaps some of the pain is still in the joint and some is surrounding muscles and tendons. Either way, it seems to be gradually getting better.
Be careful with that type of therapy. I wouldn't want anyone rubbing an old gout site…sounds like a recipe for breaking up more crystals and causing another flare up.
Anyways, in regards to your pain, I've been on 300mg of AP for about 5 months and I still have pain that comes and goes (although not like I did during that first attack). I think like zip said, each day you keep your SUA low is a step in the right direction and hopefully one of these days we'll be at 99%+ mobility!
davidk said:
Thanks all. I appreciate the help and am finding gradual improvement. I went to a massage therapist for low back pain related to the limping from gout and she said that 4 months on a cane can cause the muscles and tendons to atrophy some.
That's possible. I was not able to wear tennis / dress shoes or walk without post op shoes for few months. when I started walking, I used to put my weight on the other side of the foot. This probably is one of the reason I got muscle and tendon atrophy in the MRI I got done last month. My doctor said that wrong loading on foot can cause this atrophy.
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