Why Is Today The Biggest Gout Day of the Year?

Did you enjoy the Super Bowl yesterday? Was the game everything you had hoped it would be? Did you like the commercials? Hopefully the only lasting memory of the Super Bowl is a good time with friends and family and a great end to the foot ball season. For many of you, however, the memory will include severe foot pain that hurts even when only the sheets touch your foot. This is probably due to gout.
Gout is a buildup of uric acid in joints, most commonly the great toe joint, that leads to a violent and painful flare-up. This buildup occurs because of a higher than usual concentration of uric acid in your system. This can occur for overproduction of uric acid, which is a byproduct of protein breakdown, or underexcretion of the uric acid. That said, diet plays a significant role in developing acute attacks of gout.
Lets think back to your super bowl party and the protein you may have eaten...burgers, chicken wings, and shrimp are all culprits. Shellfish is particularly known to trigger gout attacks. Add to that fried foods (like your chicken wings and other guilty pleasures). All of this food that is famously part of the Super Bowl Party experience can set off a gout attack. But wait...there's more!
The gout attack is caused by an increased CONCENTRATION of uric acid. That means an greater volume of uric acid from the food you have eaten, but also the dehydration that we experience. Why dehydration? Well, no Super Bowl party is complete without some drinking. Alcohol of all types is dehydrating. So increasing the amount of uric acid production by the food you are eating, and increasing the concentration by dehydrating your body, is the perfect situation for a gout attack to begin.
How will you know it's gout? You'll know! Your great toe joint will become very red, hot, and swollen. A slight breeze on your foot will cause exquisite pain. Not to worry, there are ways to get you out of pain! Contact the Foot & Ankle Institute of Texas for an immediate appointment to assess the cause of your pain and how to most quickly get you feeling better.