Gout Symptoms - What You Must Know

Author : Terry Edwards 

When most people think of gout they think of an excruciating pain that shoots through their muscles and causes swelling and stiffness of the joints. In fact, gout is considered a form of arthritis. The quicker you can diagnose and treat it, the less likely damage to your joints and pain will occur. In this article I will discuss with you some of the most obvious gout symptoms and signs.

Gout symptoms usually start with sudden and unexpected pain. This is especially true in areas where no pain has ever been present in the past. Additionally, you may see a swelling or redness around the joint or the muscle. This is caused by uric acid crystals that have formed inside the joint between the muscles.

In addition to this noticeable swelling and pain within the muscle, you may also experience a fever. Typically, the fever is not a very high fever, but a low level fever which occurs for a prolonged period of time.

The pain that is associated with gout usually comes in two forms. The first form of pain occurs when you move the area that is infected. The crystals inside this joint will cause sudden excruciating pain to shoot through the muscles. The second type of pain that is associated with it comes from the cause of inflammation around the tissues. This will make the skin and muscle tender and sore to the touch. For example, if you had swelling in the muscles that was found in the arm and you wore a tight shirt over, that could cause pain.

Most often, the symptoms form starting the big toe. In fact, data suggests that three fourths of all gout attacks usually start in the big toe. If you have experience unexpected and burning pain, swelling or anything else associated with some of the symptoms we talked about in your big toe, this is the biggest indicator that you are suffering from gout.

Gout symptoms are also likely to be found in a person's heel, ankle, knee, wrist and fingers. Additionally, prolonged and long-standing gout will affect the spine and even the helix of the ear.

If you feel you or someone you know has these symptoms, it is important you consult with a doctor for proper diagnosis right away. The quicker you can start to treat gout the better your chances for pain relief.