Joint stiffness is the feeling of difficulty to move a joint or a decrease in the range of motion of a joint. This can also present with pain and/or swelling.

Depending on the cause of the problem there may also be redness, tenderness, warmth or altered sensation around the joint. Stiff joints can be common to see if you have arthritis. Joint damage, including stiffness, can also happen following an injury or a period of immobilisation.

Sometimes people may perceive there to be some stiffness in the joint however, there may be inflammation in the area, such as a bursa that is limiting you from moving the joint. An assessment by your physiotherapist will help distinguish these.

Your treatment for this will really depend on your presentation and what joint is affected. The primary aim of physiotherapy treatment will be to regain your range of motion to be able to return your baseline functional activity. This will include providing you with a specific exercise programme that is tailored for you.

Ankle sprains are a very common injury that occurs when you roll, twist or turn on your ankle in an awkward way and this can overstretch or tear the ligaments that give your ankle support. The most common ankle sprain involves an injury to the ligaments on the outer side of the ankle resulting in bruising and swelling.

The recovery time for your ankle sprain will depend on the mechanism of injury and its severity. At Louth Physiotherapy we will be able to assess your ankle and provide you with the most appropriate advice and treatment.

Our Physios provide expert treatment for ankle injuries to get you back to normal as quickly as possible.