Why Does Gout Attacks Always Happen In The Big Toe?
Big toes are susceptible for three reasons, as far as I can find. They have a fairly high amount of blood vessels and nerves, so when the blood vessels expand during the inflammation, they put pressure on the nerves. That is the immediate cause of the pain.
The inflammation comes because the big toe is the part of your body that is farthest from your heart, so the blood is a little colder and the blood flow is not as strong, which means the uric acid in the blood can start to crystallize there.
And the third reason is that they have lots of connective tissue, which seems to be where uric acid crystals like to form.
Gout attacks happen only where there is uric acid crystals, but arthritis (which is like gout without uric acid) can happen in any joint.
The inflammation comes because the big toe is the part of your body that is farthest from your heart, so the blood is a little colder and the blood flow is not as strong, which means the uric acid in the blood can start to crystallize there.
And the third reason is that they have lots of connective tissue, which seems to be where uric acid crystals like to form.
Gout attacks happen only where there is uric acid crystals, but arthritis (which is like gout without uric acid) can happen in any joint.
Your body produces the pain promoters in gout. But uric acid creation does not stop because you stop eating meat. Since your body produces its own uric acid by using purines from recycled cells, you could have a gout attack even if you ate nothing and did not drink enough water, so the concentration of uric acid in your blood went up. You are not out of the risk zone until you have lowered the level of uric acid in your blood and kept it low for a few weeks, or even months.
One lowers it by flushing it out, the other lowers production.
If you just lower production you will still have uric acid in your body which only gets flushed gradually; if you flush it out without lowering production your body will just create more when you flush it out.
One lowers it by flushing it out, the other lowers production.
If you just lower production you will still have uric acid in your body which only gets flushed gradually; if you flush it out without lowering production your body will just create more when you flush it out.