About Gout Referred Pain

Referred pain can be a symptom of gout, which typically affects the feet and can be quite painful. Flare-ups of the disease can cause pain not just in the affected joint but in other areas of the same extremity. Understanding the reasons and seeking appropriate treatment for the disease will alleviate these events and will lead to better management of these painful symptoms.

Gout

• Gout is a chronic form of arthritis that commonly produces inflammation, redness and severe pain in the affected joint. At onset, it most commonly affects the big toe. It is often limited to the lower extremities, although it can affect the elbows, fingers and wrists.
  The disease is caused by excess deposits of uric acid that are produced during the body's synthesis of purines, a substance commonly found in meats and oil-rich seafood, such as sardines and mussels.

Referred Pain

• Referred pain from gout is just as it sounds: Pain and sensation that are felt in an otherwise healthy joint adjacent to an affected area. For example, a common complaint is knee pain that is "referred" from an inflamed big toe. This is because the two areas share nerves, and the brain is misinterpreting the location of the pain.

Occurrence

• Gout attacks, or flare-ups, can go in cycles. The onset can be brief but painful. The joint usually becomes red and swollen and may stay that way for three to 10 days. Eventually the symptoms will lessen. If the condition is left untreated they may return, and usually the symptoms become prolonged and intense. Referred pain can occur anytime that there is a flare-up of gouty symptoms in the joint.

Treatment

• It is important to seek treatment for gout early on in the disease. Be sure to describe the referred pain so the doctor can evaluate it and rule out any other potential causes. The physician may prescribe medication before doing further tests, and will likely prescribe a special diet.

Warnings

• Following the diet and/or medication regimen will usually reduce the flare-ups and episodes of referred pain, and may stop them all together. Not seeking treatment for gout however, can lead to disabling symptoms, including destruction of the affected joint(s) and ongoing referred pain. Referred pain is your body's way of signaling that a problem needs to be addressed.