What is the treatment for leg pain and increased uric acid level?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 67-year-old male, and for the last two weeks, I have been suffering from heavy pain in my right leg for the last one month. I suffered from extreme left leg foot swelling, and my uric acid level was high. Accordingly, the doctor has done treatment, and now my left leg has little pain & swelling, but now the pain has started in my right leg. I have been taking Febulas 40 mg for the last ten days, and now blood test results show that uric acid is within the limit since I have controlled my diet with low purine food. I am confused about why my pain gets shifted from my left to right leg and my uric acid is within the limit. Please help me.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

I am sorry you are experiencing pain in your right leg. It is good that your uric acid levels have decreased after making dietary changes and receiving treatment for the left leg swelling. Regarding shifting pain from the left to the right leg, it is not uncommon for pain to change from one side of the body to the other. This can happen due to compensatory movements or changes in how you move to accommodate the pain in one leg. Additionally, conditions like arthritis can cause pain to be felt in different joints on different days. Given your symptoms, you may be experiencing gout or another type of arthritis, which can cause joint pain and swelling. Uric acid levels of more than 10 mg/dL are more likely to cause pain in the leg. So if it is less than 10 mg/dL, it is generally not gout. So as in your case, it favors more towards arthritis more.

I suggest you go for an X-ray of the leg, complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein to rule out other inflammatory conditions. In the meantime, you can use heat or ice on the affected leg, elevate your leg when possible, and take over-the-counter pain medications like Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen as directed. Additionally, following a low-purine diet may help prevent further flare-ups of gout or other conditions related to high uric acid levels.

I hope this information will help.

Thanks.