If you’ve ever experienced a sudden, intense pain in your big toe—so severe that even the touch of a bedsheet feels unbearable—you may understand why gout has such a painful reputation.
Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis caused by the buildup of urate crystals inside a joint. The big toe is one of the most common places for an attack to occur.
High levels of uric acid don’t always cause gout, but when urate accumulates and forms needle-shaped crystals, it can trigger sudden pain, redness, warmth and swelling.
Medication
