Arthritis is an inflammatory condition present in one or more of your joints. The primary complaints of arthritis are pain, swelling and stiffness. Arthritis can affect any of the bones in your foot or ankle. Arthritis results in the breakdown of protective tissue and bone surface area and decrease in joint space, and can cause bony spur formation.
Signs and Symptoms
• Stiff and swollen toes, foot or ankle • Reduced range of motion of the toes, foot or ankle • Pain and swelling is usually worst in the morning or after sitting or resting • Exercises, stairs, or other types of vigorous activity can cause the foot or ankle to flare up • Change in the shape of the foot or toes, and finding it hard to fit into certain shoes
Physiotherapy Management
At Live Well Physio, we perform a thorough assessment to diagnose the cause of your problem. Our goal is to get you back to pain-free as soon as possible.
Your physiotherapy management may include:
• Massage to the muscles surrounding the foot and ankle
• Dry needling techniques
• Home exercises to strengthen weaker muscles such as the gluteals, quadriceps and hamstrings the affect the load placed in the foot and ankle
• Exercises to promote flexibility
• Advice about activity modification and footwear
• Pilates to teach correct leg alignment, core stability and control and flexibility
• Orthotic prescription
• Hydrotherapy classes or exercise programme to promote exercise in a warm environment with reduced weight and load in your foot and ankle
We are committed to helping you achieve your health goals and to Live Well.