The woman who can’t stop herself gripping everything she touches: Student suffers from a rare condition which causes her hands to lock onto anything

Louise Allen (left), 19, from Bradford, is plagued by myotonic dystrophy - which causes her joints to lock randomly (inset) and is currently the focus of a major Coronation Street storyline. 


The inherited condition causes her muscles to progressively waste away but there is currently no cure. Her jaw can freeze while she is eating or talking - preventing her from opening her mouth until it frees up. She also suffers with fatigue and can sleep for up to 17 hours a day and is unable to stand for longer than five minutes without her legs aching. Miss Allen (pictured right last year) said: 'Since December 2015, my hands have been locking every minute of every day that I'm awake.'