End of Week 6 - The agony of de feet

Well, just for disclosure's sake, there are no results for this week. I injured my left foot a few days ago, tripping over a pile of wood cut ends near the barn project, and the impact set up a "trauma" in my left big toe. Then, yesterday I got dehydrated working outside all day (I keep forgetting that you have to drink, especially in the cold), and coupled with the toe trauma, this led to an onset of gout in the left toe this morning. Yes, "gout," the condition that makes you sound like you live in the 15th century...

Gout is a form of arthritis. Specifically, it is the crystallization of uric acid in a joint, typically the great toe (i.e., big toe), elbow, or wrist. The toe is especially susceptible because of the great stresses and strains that act upon it; the great toe serves as the single point of propulsion for the human gait. There is evidence that one can be more prone to gout depending on various factors, including diet, trauma, hydration, and genetic history.

Dietary considerations involve consumption of too much red meat. I haven't had a great deal of red meat in the last few weeks, so that's out. But, certainly, I qualified under trauma and hydration! Hydration plays a role because as the base amount of water in your system decreases, by default the concentration (i.e., amount of stuff dissolved in some unit of water) of all minerals and compounds in your blood will go up. So, when you get dehydrated the concentration of sodium goes up, as does the concentration of uric acid. Uric acid is a cellular waste product that is filtered by the kidneys. Unfortunately, if the concentration of uric acid gets too high, it will crystallize... forming sharp edges that cause inflammation in the joint it chose to sit on and form crystals.

So, for me, the treatment is two-fold. I drink a lot of water to get well hydrated, and I take serious anti-inflammatory meds to keep things in check. This strategy usually means I only have to suffer most of one day, rather than the three-to-four days that used to be typical for me (before I understood what was happening chemically). Sadly, that day happened to be today, when I should have been out on the course doing some timed walking/running. C'est la vie, n'est pas?

I did have to spend time on my feet, trying to close in the remaining parts of the barn before real, serious snow starts flying... so I was quite thankful for my orthotic inserts from the VA, the ones with the band of carbon fiber running along the great toe line, that help support the propulsive efforts of that joint. Although, to be honest, I cheated and just limped about not flexing my left foot at all!

Hopefully, I'll be able to get back into things later in the week.