It was a night of holiday feasting and fun. Shrimp cocktail to start, then a delicious roast beef dinner served with a wonderful red wine and capped off with a snifter of brandy. In the middle of the night, however, you wake up with excruciating pain throbbing in your big toe, which feels hot and swollen. At Paso-Hernando Foot & Ankle, we hear many similar scenarios at this time of year, and they are the classic presentation of gout.

Bunions are a progressive condition. It means they will only get worse, not better, over time. Initially, when patients consult our podiatrist, Dr. Lawrence J. Kales, about a bunion, they may be at a stage where the deformity is not causing them pain and discomfort, and the foot doctor will wait and see approach, monitoring the progression of the bunion.