Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesCopingFrequently Asked Questions
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Table of Contents
Causes
Coping
Frequently Asked Questions
Morning stiffnessis common in people with arthritis. When it’s severe, you may feel like you can hardly walk when you get up in the morning. Sometimes it can even happen if you are being treated for arthritis.
It can affect those with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis, and is due to a variety of factors.
This article explains the possible causes of morning stiffness in arthritis and what you can do to make your mornings less painful.
Peter Dazeley / Photographer’s Choice / Getty Images
Causes of Morning Stiffness
Morning stiffness is common in different types of arthritis, includingrheumatoid arthritis(RA),psoriatic arthritis(PsA), andosteoarthritis(OA).
The symptoms of morning stiffness can vary depending on the type of arthritis you have. For example:
Gel Phenomenon
One possible cause of morning stiffness is called the “gel phenomenon.”
In your joints, there’s a liquid calledsynovialfluid. When your joints are not moving, the fluid can get thick and “gel-like.” The gelling makes it harder for the joints to move easily. However, once you start moving again, the fluid will go back to its normal liquid state.
The gel phenomenon is one reason why people with OA may feel stiff after long periods of inactivity.
Low Cortisol
Some researchers think that morning stiffness could be related to hormone fluctuations in the body over a 24-hour cycle. It’s thought that some conditions make a person have low nighttime levels of the hormonecortisol.
Having low cortisol overnight leaves your body unable to tamp down cells called pro-inflammatorycytokines, such asinterleukin-6(IL-6). Since the inflammation isn’t under control while you sleep, you wake up with extra inflammation.More inflammation contributes to arthritis symptoms like pain and morning stiffness, particularly for people with an inflammatory form of arthritis.
Your cortisol levels tend to be highest (peak) in the morning. As the day goes on and the levels and inflammation go down, your arthritis symptoms may gradually get better, too.
Role of Obesity
There are a few ways that obesity is linked to arthritis, particularly “wear and tear” OA.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 3 Americans with obesity has been diagnosed with arthritis compared to 1 in 5 people in the general population.
Carrying extra weight puts more stress on your joints, especially on your hips and knees. It can also make the weakening and damage of cartilage in joints (degeneration) move at a faster pace. There’s also some evidence that obesity is linked to inflammation in the body, and inflammation is linked to arthritis.
If you have obesity, you may notice stiffness in your joints in the morning as well as throughout the day. If you can lose weight and maintain a weight that supports your health, it could help with your arthritis symptoms.
Role of Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D plays a key role in bone and joint health and is an important nutritional aspect of taking care of these parts of your body. That said, being deficient in vitamin D can cause joint pain and stiffness in the morning, even in people who do not have arthritis. For people who do have forms of arthritis, vitamin D might play a role in helping them manage the disease.
Some research has shown an association between low vitamin D levels and joint pain, particularly in the knee and hip.
One 2017 study found that increasing vitamin D intake might be beneficial for people who have arthritis pain and a vitamin D deficiency but was not necessarily helpful for people who have adequate vitamin D levels. More studies are needed to find out if additional vitamin D would be beneficial for people with arthritis who are not deficient.
Does Low Vitamin D Cause RA?Some studies have shown that people with RA often have low levels of vitamin D, but researchers are not sure what the relationship is. Rather than vitamin deficiencies causing RA, it could be that people with RA commonly have nutritional deficiencies.
Does Low Vitamin D Cause RA?
Some studies have shown that people with RA often have low levels of vitamin D, but researchers are not sure what the relationship is. Rather than vitamin deficiencies causing RA, it could be that people with RA commonly have nutritional deficiencies.
Dealing With Morning Stiffness
You might be able to manage morning stiffness with medication or changes in your daily routines or lifestyle habits. You can also talk to your provider about specific treatments that might help, depending on the type of arthritis you have.
For example, a prescription drug calledRayosis a delayed-release form of acorticosteroidcalledprednisone, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory medication. Rayos can help with morning stiffness because it’s usually taken around 10 p.m., and the medication gets released about four hours later (which is thought to be the best time to suppress IL-6).
You may have to experiment with more than one method until you find one (or a combination of several) that helps you manage morning stiffness and cope with the effects of arthritis in your day-to-day life.
Summary
Morning stiffness is common in people with different kinds of arthritis. In inflammatory types of arthritis, morning stiffness may last for several hours. In non-inflammatory forms of arthritis like osteoarthritis, morning stiffness generally goes away in less than half an hour.
Morning stiffness can have different causes, like the “gelling” of joint fluid or low overnight cortisol levels, leading to inflammation. Talk to your provider about medications or lifestyle changes that may help you cope with morning stiffness from arthritis.
Frequently Asked QuestionsStiff joints in the morning can be due to OA, RA, or joint aging.OA stiffness generally lasts for less than half an hour. RA can make joints stiff for hours. Stiffness from aging usually lasts for 15 minutes or less.Keep yourself warm, do some simple stretches, make sure your joints are supported while you sleep, and try showering first thing in the morning.Depending on the cause of your stiffness, your healthcare provider may be able to prescribe medication to help.Morning shoulder pain has several possible causes, including Inflammatory arthritis, OA,shoulder impingement,rotator cuff injury, or sleeping in an awkward position.Talk to your healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
Stiff joints in the morning can be due to OA, RA, or joint aging.OA stiffness generally lasts for less than half an hour. RA can make joints stiff for hours. Stiffness from aging usually lasts for 15 minutes or less.
Stiff joints in the morning can be due to OA, RA, or joint aging.
OA stiffness generally lasts for less than half an hour. RA can make joints stiff for hours. Stiffness from aging usually lasts for 15 minutes or less.
Keep yourself warm, do some simple stretches, make sure your joints are supported while you sleep, and try showering first thing in the morning.Depending on the cause of your stiffness, your healthcare provider may be able to prescribe medication to help.
Keep yourself warm, do some simple stretches, make sure your joints are supported while you sleep, and try showering first thing in the morning.
Depending on the cause of your stiffness, your healthcare provider may be able to prescribe medication to help.
Morning shoulder pain has several possible causes, including Inflammatory arthritis, OA,shoulder impingement,rotator cuff injury, or sleeping in an awkward position.Talk to your healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
Morning shoulder pain has several possible causes, including Inflammatory arthritis, OA,shoulder impingement,rotator cuff injury, or sleeping in an awkward position.
Talk to your healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arthritis Foundation.Inflammation and stiffness: the hallmarks of arthritis.Harvard Health Publishing.What makes my joints stiff in the morning?Hospital for Special Surgery.Osteoarthritis.Paolino S, Cutolo M, Pizzorni C.Glucocorticoid management in rheumatoid arthritis: morning or night low dose?Reumatologia. 2017;55(4):189-197. doi:10.5114/reum.2017.69779Spies CM, Straub RH, Cutolo M, Buttgereit F.Circadian rhythms in rheumatology—a glucocorticoid perspective.Arthritis Res Ther. 2014;16 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S3. doi:10.1186/ar4687Arthritis Foundation.Your body’s internal clock affects arthritis symptoms.Arthritis Foundation.How fat can worsen arthritis.Laslett LL, Quinn S, Burgess JR, et al.Moderate vitamin D deficiency is associated with changes in knee and hip pain in older adults: a 5-year longitudinal study.Ann Rheum Dis. 2014 Apr;73(4):697-703. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202831Helde-Frankling M, Björkhem-Bergman L.Vitamin D in pain management.Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Oct 18;18(10):2170. doi:10.3390/ijms18102170Arthritis Foundation.Vitamin D and arthritis debate.Buttgereit F.How should impaired morning function in rheumatoid arthritis be treated?.Scand J Rheumatol Suppl.2011;125:28-39. doi:10.3109/03009742.2011.566438American College of Rheumatology.Rheumatoid arthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Arthritis of the shoulder.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arthritis Foundation.Inflammation and stiffness: the hallmarks of arthritis.Harvard Health Publishing.What makes my joints stiff in the morning?Hospital for Special Surgery.Osteoarthritis.Paolino S, Cutolo M, Pizzorni C.Glucocorticoid management in rheumatoid arthritis: morning or night low dose?Reumatologia. 2017;55(4):189-197. doi:10.5114/reum.2017.69779Spies CM, Straub RH, Cutolo M, Buttgereit F.Circadian rhythms in rheumatology—a glucocorticoid perspective.Arthritis Res Ther. 2014;16 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S3. doi:10.1186/ar4687Arthritis Foundation.Your body’s internal clock affects arthritis symptoms.Arthritis Foundation.How fat can worsen arthritis.Laslett LL, Quinn S, Burgess JR, et al.Moderate vitamin D deficiency is associated with changes in knee and hip pain in older adults: a 5-year longitudinal study.Ann Rheum Dis. 2014 Apr;73(4):697-703. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202831Helde-Frankling M, Björkhem-Bergman L.Vitamin D in pain management.Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Oct 18;18(10):2170. doi:10.3390/ijms18102170Arthritis Foundation.Vitamin D and arthritis debate.Buttgereit F.How should impaired morning function in rheumatoid arthritis be treated?.Scand J Rheumatol Suppl.2011;125:28-39. doi:10.3109/03009742.2011.566438American College of Rheumatology.Rheumatoid arthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Arthritis of the shoulder.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Arthritis Foundation.Inflammation and stiffness: the hallmarks of arthritis.Harvard Health Publishing.What makes my joints stiff in the morning?Hospital for Special Surgery.Osteoarthritis.Paolino S, Cutolo M, Pizzorni C.Glucocorticoid management in rheumatoid arthritis: morning or night low dose?Reumatologia. 2017;55(4):189-197. doi:10.5114/reum.2017.69779Spies CM, Straub RH, Cutolo M, Buttgereit F.Circadian rhythms in rheumatology—a glucocorticoid perspective.Arthritis Res Ther. 2014;16 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S3. doi:10.1186/ar4687Arthritis Foundation.Your body’s internal clock affects arthritis symptoms.Arthritis Foundation.How fat can worsen arthritis.Laslett LL, Quinn S, Burgess JR, et al.Moderate vitamin D deficiency is associated with changes in knee and hip pain in older adults: a 5-year longitudinal study.Ann Rheum Dis. 2014 Apr;73(4):697-703. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202831Helde-Frankling M, Björkhem-Bergman L.Vitamin D in pain management.Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Oct 18;18(10):2170. doi:10.3390/ijms18102170Arthritis Foundation.Vitamin D and arthritis debate.Buttgereit F.How should impaired morning function in rheumatoid arthritis be treated?.Scand J Rheumatol Suppl.2011;125:28-39. doi:10.3109/03009742.2011.566438American College of Rheumatology.Rheumatoid arthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Arthritis of the shoulder.
Arthritis Foundation.Inflammation and stiffness: the hallmarks of arthritis.
Harvard Health Publishing.What makes my joints stiff in the morning?
Hospital for Special Surgery.Osteoarthritis.
Paolino S, Cutolo M, Pizzorni C.Glucocorticoid management in rheumatoid arthritis: morning or night low dose?Reumatologia. 2017;55(4):189-197. doi:10.5114/reum.2017.69779
Spies CM, Straub RH, Cutolo M, Buttgereit F.Circadian rhythms in rheumatology—a glucocorticoid perspective.Arthritis Res Ther. 2014;16 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S3. doi:10.1186/ar4687
Arthritis Foundation.Your body’s internal clock affects arthritis symptoms.
Arthritis Foundation.How fat can worsen arthritis.
Laslett LL, Quinn S, Burgess JR, et al.Moderate vitamin D deficiency is associated with changes in knee and hip pain in older adults: a 5-year longitudinal study.Ann Rheum Dis. 2014 Apr;73(4):697-703. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202831
Helde-Frankling M, Björkhem-Bergman L.Vitamin D in pain management.Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Oct 18;18(10):2170. doi:10.3390/ijms18102170
Arthritis Foundation.Vitamin D and arthritis debate.
Buttgereit F.How should impaired morning function in rheumatoid arthritis be treated?.Scand J Rheumatol Suppl.2011;125:28-39. doi:10.3109/03009742.2011.566438
American College of Rheumatology.Rheumatoid arthritis.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Arthritis of the shoulder.
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