Why does gout traditionally ‘attack’ the big toe? Although the there’s no direct proof, the reasoning seems scientifically to me. Gout is caused by uric-acid crystal formation around body joints. Therefore it’s reasoned that gout causes big-toe pain because it’s the furthest joint away from the heart, and the area around the heart is the warmest part of the body. So the big toe is joint is likely to be the coolest joint in the body and therefore predisposed for crystal formation.

In other words, it seems heat play a role in preventing crystals of uric acid forming.

I’ve begun to really like this blog because of all the useful information. Learning to live with gout has helped me tremendously – denying it just adds to the stress! Gout affects me strongly. I wonder if any of your visitors have tried drugs and diet for gout – worked for me; especially reducing big toe pain. The cause of gout confused me a lot, none of my relatives have it! Cool stuff here – I like the pics. Keep up the good work! Pol Hansen