A Variety of Shoes
Treatments A Foot Doctor Can Recommend For Gout
Tessa Jean
Gout is a complicated medical condition associated with a buildup of uric acid in the bloodstream. The uric acid then crystallizes within your joints, leading to serious pain. Since gout is so complex, most patients end up with several doctors collaborating on their care. Your primary care physician and an orthopedic doctor will generally provide most of the treatment, but since gout normally affects the feet first, you should also consider seeing a podiatrist. Here are some of the key treatments they are likely to recommend or administer for gout.
Corticosteroid Injections
You might be prescribed oral corticosteroids to help keep your joint pain at bay. However, a podiatrist may also administer cortisone injections directly into an affected joint. Often, this is done if you have a joint that has been hit particularly hard by a gout flare-up and if the pain is not subsiding with the pain relievers and other prescriptions you're already taking to manage your gout. You may have cortisone injected into your ankle, your big toe, or even one of your smaller toes.
Cortisone injections are a bit painful, but they do offer serious relief, which sets in about a day after the shot and should last several months. You probably won't need another cortisone shot until you have another gout flare-up that brings your symptoms back
Splints
Your podiatrist may also recommend wearing a splint in your shoe to take the pressure off the particular toes or joints that have been most affected by your gout. For example, if your big toe is really sore, they may design you a splint that shifts pressure to the outside of your foot so you're not stepping so heavily on your big toe.
The right splint can make it easier for you to get around and keep working through a gout flare-up.
Cold Laser Therapy
Some podiatrists are beginning to administer cold laser therapy to their patients with foot pain related to gout. This therapy involves shining a cold, slow-moving laser on your foot. It does not hurt, but the wavelength of the laser light helps stimulate blood flow to the area, which can help dissolve and carry away the built-up uric acid. In some cases, your podiatrist may even recommend purchasing a cold laser device for you to use at home.
If gout is causing you foot pain, make an appointment with a foot doctor. They can coordinate with the other doctors on your case and administer one or more of the treatments discussed above.
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Growing up, I was never very interested in buying a large quantity of shoes to pair with my outfits. I rarely owned more than five or six pairs of shoes at any given time. I usually wore either my favorite pair of sneakers, boots, flats, or heels everywhere I went. When I married my amazing husband ten years ago, my shoe closet expanded. My generous spouse encouraged me to buy some several pairs of cute shoes to match my clothing. After shopping for new shoes, I was hooked. Now, I rarely wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. Thankfully, I’ve learned that wearing a different type of shoe each day is good for my foot health. On this blog, you will discover the most important benefits of wearing a different kind of shoe every day of the week.