Pain and or stiffness in my ankle
Ankles can become painful or stiff as the result of an injury might develop gradually without any obvious cause. Just beneath the ankle joint is the subtalar joint. This moves the foot side to side as oppose to the ankles' up and down action. Hindfoot pain and stiffness can arise from the ankle, subtalar joint or even in the tendons around them. "Wear and tear" changes (osteoarthritis) in the ankle tends to cause pain when walking, sometimes worse at the front when walking up hill. There might be throbbing pains deep in the joint when at rest or at night. Swelling around the joint is common. Arthritis in the subtalar joint characteristically causes pain when walking on uneven ground in particular and tends to run up the outside of the hindfoot and shin.
Not all arthritis is osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis gives pains and stiffness when getting out of bed in the mornings in particular. It can damage the tendons around the ankle causing pain, inflammation and weakness. Inflammation, fraying or rupture of the tibialis posterior tendon causes symptoms on the inside aspect of the ankle and foot between the arch and ankle bone (medial malleolus). Walking becomes weak, especially the ability to lift one's weight up on to the ball of the toes, and the arch can become flattened or flatter that it was before. A similar swelling and pain can arise from the peroneal tendons running round the outside corner of the ankle bones (lateral malleolus). When they become inflammed or damaged the ankle can have a tendency to give way easily.