Is recurring foot pain common?
1 answer
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Last updated: May 15, 2010
Q
My Dad was recently diagnosed with gout in his feet. He has medication and his feet feel good for a few days and right back to pain again. Is this common, or should he seek other medical care?
A
Jane Andersen, DPM, is a board-certified podiatrist in private practice in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She provides surgical and nonsurgical foot and ankle...
Sometimes gout (an arthritis caused by an increase in the uric acid in your body) can cause chronic pain. More commonly, though, gout will cause acute, sudden pain with redness, heat and swelling in a single joint, commonly in the foot.
The only way to accurately diagnose gout is by analyzing the fluid from the painful joint. In an office setting, a podiatrist or rheumatologist will use a needle and syringe to obtain the fluid and send it to the lab.
If there is any doubt your Dad has gout, he should be evaluated by his podiatrist, as there are many other causes of pain in the feet that can mimic gout. There may be other treatment options available as well.
