Ankles feeling stiff and achy? Physical therapy can help!

Feeling Stiff and Achy

Walking down to the mailbox. Standing at the stove to cook dinner. Staying upright in the shower. All these common daily activities can be much harder to do if you have stiff and achy ankles. 

It’s estimated that up to 15% of the adult population develops ankle pain in their lifetime. In many cases, such pain can become chronic and begin affecting your ability to move normally. Physical therapists can help you find ways to treat ankles that are feeling stiff and achy. However, it can be helpful to know more about what could be causing your ankle symptoms first. 

Issues that could lead to your ankles feeling stiff and achy

If your doctor has diagnosed you with a more serious medical condition that impacts your joints and tissues, physical therapy can probably help. Here are some of the most common ankle issues that can be treated by a physical therapist:

How can a physical therapist help when your ankles are feeling stiff and achy?

Your physical therapy regimen will largely depend on your specific symptoms or diagnosis. There are many therapy techniques that can help when ankles are feeling achy and stiff. 

A few of the most common techniques used for ankle issues include: 

  • McKenzie Method® — The McKenzie Method takes place in three separate phases. A physical therapist first evaluates your ankle to determine the cause of your pain. Then, they’ll develop a program of therapeutic exercises for your issue. Finally, your physical therapist will help you learn self-treatment techniques that can help ensure that your ankle issue doesn’t recur. One medical study showed that this therapy method helped reduce ankle symptoms by up to 90% in just three visits. 
  • Manual therapy — This category of therapy is also called hands-on therapy. The techniques in the manual therapy category involve your physical therapist moving and manipulating the injured area with their hands. These techniques can be especially effective for people with ankle issues. Researchers from one study report that a therapy plan that included hands-on therapy helped reduce pain from an ankle sprain by about 70% in just four weeks. 

Find help with ankle stiffness and achiness at SSOR

Are you tired of your ankle feeling stiff and achy? Our therapy specialists at SSOR can help you find relief. We offer complimentary screenings that can reveal that source of your ankle symptoms. Additionally, our team excels at creating personalized therapy plans designed to reduce pain and stiffness brought on by many ankle issues. 

Need to get help for your ankle while staying at home? No problem! We offer services like virtual care and at-home therapy that are designed to help you get effective therapy from home. In addition, you can start using any of our physical therapy services without first getting a doctor’s referral. 

Take the next step to start getting our help with your ankle problem. Contact us today for more information about how we can help or to schedule your complimentary screening.