For the past week or so the joint on both of my big toes has been in a ton of pain. It started in one and I thought maybe I'd jammed it, but both feet hurt now in the same spot. It seems like it's hallux limitus and hopefully can be fixed with a "turf toe strap".

Does anyone have experience with this? Were you able to correct it without surgery?? I'm planning on going to a foot doctor soon, I'm just worried about the possibility of surgery. I can't afford it AND I have to be on my feet all day and able to go up and down stairs for my job.

Any advice/info would be helpful!

It sounds like gout. Try drinking cherry juice. I don't think it can be cured with surgery.

Hope you feel better soon.

Sounds like gout to me too.

Could be your shoes.

Sounds like gout, I have had this before, I went to a health food store and got cherry juice in concentrated form and mixed my own, its stronger than pre-made juices, took Aleve or ibuprofen, no alcohol, 8-16 cups of fluid a day, limit my proteins fish/chicken specifically, mushrooms, asparagus etc, these cause high uric acid and thats what causes gout, it crystallizes. Keep your feet up as much as possible. It usually subsides in about a week, if not def see your doc. Hope you feel better soon!

There are short courses of medicine for gout. Go to the doc.

Isn't red meat a huge no-no for gout sufferers?
Good luck.

gout can be triggered by different foods, alcohol, etc but everyone is different. It runs in my family as does all kinds of arthritis.

The cherry juice concentrates are good for ongoing prevention. But, I would strongly recommend seeing a doctor. A short course of medication will clear it up quickly and if it is gout, you are in a lot of pain.

Good luck.

Mine was stucturally caused, rather than due to gout. It only came on after I'd walked for several hours straight or run on pavement several days in a row. It's due to arthritis in the toe joints. After I lost a lot of weight, and my feet shrank down on top, I could clearly see what's called a "dorsal bunion" (that is, the big toe joint is knobby on top, rather than to the side). The foot doctor has said that eventually, he may have to go in there & scrape down the extra bone growth. In the meantime, I just modified my exercise habits to lower-impact cardio, like spinning & the elliptical. Now it only acts up if I walk & walk all day, usually when on vacation or something like that.