Gouty Tophi In The Wrist Symptoms

Gouty tophus is so vicious that it grows virtually in any synovial joints in your body.  One may fear that once he grow tophus in any part of his body, it is certain that somewhere another tophacious deposit will grow. The sad truth is, this is quite true. The even sadder truth is the fact that millions of lifestyles have been drastically limited and hundreds of thousands of lives have been ruined because of this.

Unfortunately, gouty tophi in the wrist are hard to diagnose, especially because other diseases portray similar symptoms. BUT FEAR NOT!  This article will help you with self-diagnosis or in your preparation for your check-up. 

Gouty tophi in the wrist

The purpose of your wrist is not only to be a display case of splendid accessories such as wristwatches and bracelets. They serve an important role to the grasping abilities and flexibility of your limbs. Because of this, a simple damage here can maim you in severe degrees. That is why it is important to know how to anticipate possible disorders to occur to your wrist, including gouty tophi.

How does gouty tophi attack the wrist?

Surprisingly, our wrist is composed of eight bones called the carpals. These bones are connected by the intercarpal joints which are synovial in nature. Its synovial membrane is notably extensive. This makes your wrist rich in Synovial fluids, especially if we will consider the presence of the two bursae which secretes synovial fluids. In short, as a rich deposit of Synovial fluids, your wrist is a gouty tophi hotspot.

Typically, the patient is already experiencing gout attacks in the other parts of the body before gout attacks begin assaulting the wrist. Therefore, gouty tophi in the wrist is more predictable.

Consequences of gouty tophi in the wrist

Gouty tophi on your wrist will surely be debilitating. All those eight carpals will be rendered useless by the pain. The further effects of having an immobile limb is pretty much self-explanatory. Worse, when the crystals grow large enough, they can cause even more pain and damage.

The damage caused by the crystals to your wrist can range from mild to irreversible. It will be hard to repair the damaged cartilages, and it is quite impossible to heal the damaged joint. If the tophus reaches a point where it pierced the skin, infection is also possible.

Symptoms of gouty tophi in the wrist

Fortunately, gouty tophi in the wrist is quite predictable.

This list will help you diagnose yourself of wrist gout or even gout itself. You can ask yourself if you are currently experiencing the following. This are common questions that doctors ask when patients seek wrist gout check-ups.  The more you say yes, the more likely it is that you have wrist gout. Along this list are details about diseases that have the same signs and cause confusion.

1.     Earlier Gout Attacks

As aforementioned, gout attacks in other joints are more likely to occur first before attacking the wrist. However, pain in the joints are not solely caused by gout. There are other diseases that can cause this pain such as tendinitis, bursitis, different kinds of arthritis, lyme disease, lupus and a long list of other diseases. Take note that these diseases may accompany gout or may even be caused by the gout itself. For instance, bursitis, which is an inflammation of a bursa sac, may be caused by tophi crystals in the sac. Hence, if you are not yet diagnosed of gout attacks, the challenge is to identify if it is indeed gout attack.

2.     Painful, Swollen and Red Wrist

Just like gout in other parts of the body, it is accompanied by swelling and redness. These reactions may be caused by the tophi crystals protruding or by your immune system trying to expel the soon-to-form tophi crystals. This is usually accompanied by fever, and usually occurs in the night because of the relatively low temperature. However, take note that there are other causes of swollen joints and reddish skin. This includes cellulitis and ganglion cyst.

Ganglion cyst is characterized by a fluid –filled swelling of the infected area and commonly occur in the fingers and the wrist. It is not as painful as gout. The exact nature of the disease is still unknown, but it is found out that the fluid has the same composition as the synovial fluid. This means that there is a small probability of its involvement with gout.

If you said yes to both symptoms AND considered the possible ambiguity caused by certain circumstances (as described in the symptoms) or was undecided, then it is time for you to see your doctor for confirmation. However, take note that the diagnosis of gout in the wrist is a difficult process. You will have to undergo a process called athrocentesis where synovial fluids are extracted from your wrist and observed if Uric acid crystals are present.

In case athrocentesis does not suffice, you will be diagnosed based on your experiences. Your doctors will ask questions confirming your gout, such as gout attack frequency, if you had recently indulged yourself with so much purine or if you have history of gout. Unfortunately, most of the signs the doctor will look for are gout symptoms based on empirical data (such as inheritance or injury related gout). It will not be 100% accurate.

Gout or not, there is an aid available

Whether you are a gout victim so afraid of the additional restraints gout can shackle you with or someone who is simply afraid that the pain in your wrist can be caused by gout, there are options for you to rest assured.

You can undergo the wise low-purine diet. This will be healthy for you whether you are a gout victim or not. Unfortunately, some gout victims are still not experiencing developments even if they maintain such diet. They still suffer from high uric acid. In both cases, ionized alkaline water can help.

No matter how acidic your blood is, ionized alkaline water can restore the balance. One brand that can do this with speed is Calkaline. If you are interested in learning how Calkaline does this in a FAST AND EFFICIENT manner, you can read HERE <- link for natural treatment for tophy.

Wrist gout is particularly damaging and is very stealthy. In case of uncertainty, you should take precautionary measures. A little change in the diet along with a few glasses of ionized alkaline water a day will not hurt, but gouty wrist will, in a manner that you will most likely despise. Avoid tophi in your wrist. Avoid tophi in all parts of your precious body. Live freely. Live without the binding restrains caused by gout.