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As you get older, you may experience difficulties in movement pertaining to your joints. Some individuals may notice pain and stiffness in their feet and ankle joint which seem to be getting worse over time. The are various conditions which may show these symptoms and one of them is ankle arthritris. When left untreated it may greatly limit your quality of life and make your everyday walk painful. Your ankle joint comprise the lower ends of the leg bones and the ankle bone. The surfaces of the bone are lined with substances which acts as shock absorbers and allows smooth movement to occur in the joint. In ankle arthritis the lining of the joint surfaces become worn out due to several factors such prior injury to the bones or tough cords of bands surrounding the ankle joint. The development of bone outgrowths around the joint also causes further damage to the affected ankle joint.

Risk factors

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Individuals who are predisposed to this condition may have had a prior injury to the ankle joint; it may have been a broken bone in the ankle joint or serve injury to the tough cords surrounding the ankle joint. When there is a discontinuity in the bones of the ankle, it alters how the joint is supposed to work. Sometimes after the healing of the broken bone has occurred the joint works differently from how it used to previously. A similar injury to the tough cords of bands surrounding the ankle joint may also alter the normal movement the joint makes. These injuries increase the forces or pressure exerted on the ankle joint whenever movement takes place and may cause further damage to the joint making it wear out more quickly. After a prolonged period of time, the joint surfaces are progressively damaged and movement in the joint becomes difficult and painful.

Sign and symptoms

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An individual with ankle arthritis usually complains of pain in the joint. Initially, the pain occurs when you make movements with the affected joint. But you may notice that when you engage in an activity the pain seems to diminish. However, after taking a rest the pain or nausea returns with stiffness in the joint. As the condition progresses over time, you may realise that the pain is constantly present throughout the day and even at rest and interferes with your sleep. You may also notice that your ankle joint is swollen and stiff particularly after a prolonged activity. As further damage occurs at the joint you may hear or feel a sound when you move your foot. The range of available movement in the ankle joint reduces as a result of the stiffness, pain and swelling. Individuals may complain of reduced flexibility in the affected joint and are apprehensive when they walk or bear weight in the affected leg. When performing certain movements you may notice that the muscles around the ankle joint are weaker than the unaffected leg and this may cause you to stumble or fall when performing an activity. In severe conditions the ankle joint surfaces wear away such that the joint becomes deformed. The alignment of the bones of the joint is altered considerably causing further damage whenever movement occur.

Other symptoms include;

• A challenge to walk independently due to pain.

• Affected ankle joint is painful to touch

• Sometimes you may experience numbness and a tingling sensation spreading from the affected ankle joint into the foot.

Diagnosis

The physiotherapist probes into the medical and family history of the individual. The physiotherapist examines the affected leg as well as joints of the legs and the footwear surrounding the muscles is also taken note of. The alignment and the presentation of the joint are also assessed. Your gait or walking pattern is also checked to evaluate the extent of damage. You may also need to take x-rays or perform other investigations to confirm or rule out other conditions before a diagnosis is made. Everyone need this without good health, we can't do our normal routines. Thanks for reading. @jakemore representing #teamghana.

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