Hi, I had a gout attack at the big toe and had recovered after about 2 weeks of bed rest, strict diet control, and a course of colchicine. The problem is the recovery is not 100%. I would describe it as 95%, as very slight redness and very slight swelling is still present. Another 3 weeks have passed after the initial 2 weeks of bed rest, but the 5% remains. This is very unusual as in past attacks the recovery is complete after 2 weeks at most. i m able to move about without pain but with some discomfort, due to some rigidity at the big toe. if I spend more time walking, the big toe feel slightly more red/swell and a little pain returning. It is definitely not the gouty pain. Any advice you can give to secure a full recovery is appreciated. Thank you. Jimmy. email
Hello, It seems like you have recovered from an acute attack of gout. Are you on any tablets now like allopurinol to maintain the serum uric acid under control? If yes, then I would suggest you continue it and maintain the uric acid level below 6 mg. What usually happens with repeated attacks of gout is that every time while healing a small amount of joint damage occurs, and it will lead to gouty arthritis. In your case, the remaining 5%of your recovery may be related to this issue. I would suggest you consult your physician once a year at least and to get radiographs of great toe to know the status of joint. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.