Have you ever woken up with a throbbing, unbearable pain in your big toe that makes you try not to even step on the floor? This is a fairly common condition that can indicate gout or elevated uric acid levels. The pain can be very sharp, as if your joint is on fire. The good news is that there are ways to help, and simple changes to your drinking regimen can significantly affect the condition.
What are gout and high uric acid levels?
What actually happens in the body when this pain occurs? The most common culprit is hyperuricemia – too high a level of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a metabolic product that is formed when purines are broken down. Purines occur naturally in the body, but they are also present in many foods, especially meat and seafood.
The painful reality of gout
When uric acid levels get too high, it’s like having too much sugar in a glass of water—it crystallizes and settles to the bottom. Similarly, uric acid crystals can form in joints, most commonly in the big toe. When these crystals build up, they cause gout—an acute inflammation of the joints that comes on suddenly and is accompanied by severe pain, swelling, and redness.
