Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTreatmentComplicationsDiagnosisWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
Complications
Diagnosis
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
Joint stiffness occurs when your joints lack the mobility to move smoothly through their full range of motion. When you have stiff joints, it can be difficult and sometimes painful to move parts of your body.
Joint stiffness also often occurs alongside muscle tightness, which further limits your range of motion and flexibility.
This article will discuss joint stiffness symptoms, causes, and treatments as well as when to see a healthcare provider.
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Symptoms of Joint Stiffness
Causes of Joint Stiffness
Joint stiffness can result from injuries or conditions that cause joint inflammation or from lack of movement and prolonged immobility. The most common causes of joint stiffness include:
One of the most common causes of joint stiffness is lack of movement, which can occur from staying in the same position for a long period of time, such as sitting or sleeping, or with immobilization, such as wearing a sling, cast, or brace to limit your movement after injury.
Injuries
Injuries to your joints, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and muscles can cause swelling to accumulate in and around your joints, which causes joint stiffness that limits your range of motion.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritisresults from the breakdown of cartilage within joints, causing joints to become stiff, painful, and swollen. Osteoarthritis most commonly affects the neck, back, fingers and hands, knees, and hips.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)is an autoimmune condition that causes the body to attack its own joints, causing joint inflammation that results in painful, red, stiff, and swollen joints. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the same joints on both sides of the body, most commonly in thehands, wrists, and knees.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA)is an autoimmune condition that often develops as a complication of psoriasis, an inflammatory skin condition that causes red, dry, itchy skin patches. Psoriatic arthritis most commonly affects the fingers and toes, resulting in stiff joints and a swollen, sausage-like appearance.
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation of the spine, most often resulting in low back pain and fatigue. Ankylosing spondylitis can also affect the knees, hips, and shoulders, causing joint pain, stiffness, and swelling.
Gout
Goutis an inflammatory condition that develops from increased uric acid levels in the blood, causing crystals to deposit within joints, most often affecting the big toes, causing joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Infection (Septic Arthritis)
Abacterial infectioncan infect joints, most commonly the knees and hips, leading to septic arthritis that causes joint swelling, stiffness and difficulty with joint movement, pain, fever, and chills.
How to Treat Joint Stiffness
Treatment for joint stiffness will differ depending on the underlying cause. For joint stiffness due to lack of movement or osteoarthritis, exercise and physical activity can help warm up and loosen your joints.
If your joint stiffness is due to an injury, it will take some time for your stiffness to improve. Physical therapy and regular exercise can help expedite your recovery and improve your ability to move your joints as much as possible.
Other treatments to help control your joint stiffness, especially if you’re also in a lot of pain, include medications like NSAIDs (aspirin and ibuprofen) andcortisone injectionsinto your affected joints. Cortisone injections are anti-inflammatory steroid medications that can help decrease inflammation and related stiffness and pain.
If your joint stiffness is related to an autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis, your healthcare provider may also recommend taking certain types of medications like DMARDs or biologics.
These medications can help decrease the autoimmune response to treat joint inflammation and stiffness and are typically administered through an IV fusion.
Other medications like colchicine or allopurinol to treat gout, or antibiotics to treat an infection, may be needed to reduce your joint stiffness and pain.
Complications and Risk Factors Associated With Joint Stiffness
If left untreated, these issues can progress and lead to serious and sometimes permanent joint damage and disability.
Scheduling an appointment with your healthcare provider to determine the underlying cause of your joint stiffness is important for protecting your joints.
Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Joint Stiffness?
Joint stiffness is initially assessed through a physical examination to observe the physical appearance of your joints and their ability to move. Imaging tests likeX-raysandMRIscan examine your bones and structures in and around your joints to check for damage if you experience an injury or may have arthritis.
Your healthcare provider may also perform blood work if they suspect that gout or an autoimmune condition is causing your joint stiffness.
You should schedule a visit with your healthcare provider if you experience a sudden onset of pain and joint stiffness to check for signs of injury or infection.
You should also see your healthcare provider if you have been experiencing chronic stiffness and swelling within your joints for several weeks or months to determine the underlying cause and receive appropriate treatment.
If you have stiff joints that become red, hot, swollen, and very painful, seek immediate medical attention. These are signs that you may have a serious infection or flare-up of an autoimmune attack.
Summary
Joint stiffness can result from lack of movement, injuries, infections, osteoarthritis, gout, or autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Applying heat, regular stretching and exercise, and physical therapy can help decrease joint stiffness to allow your joints to move more smoothly, though you may also need pain medications and cortisone injections to treat painful stiffness.
Joint stiffness from autoimmune conditions often requires special medications given through IV infusions to help control chronic joint inflammation.
A Word From Verywell
Joint stiffness often occurs from lack of movement or osteoarthritis, both of which can benefit from regular exercise to improve joint mobility, flexibility, and overall range of motion.
If your joint stiffness also occurs with significant swelling and pain, make sure to contact your healthcare provider to help determine the underlying cause. Painful, stiff, and swollen joints may indicate a more serious problem that requires specialized treatment to prevent permanent damage to your joints.
6 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.Driban JB, Harkey MS, Barbe MF, Ward RJ, MacKay JW, Davis JE, Lu B, Price LL, Eaton CB, Lo GH, McAlindon TE.Risk factors and the natural history of accelerated knee osteoarthritis: a narrative review.BMC Musculoskelet Disord.2020 May 29;21(1):332. doi: 10.1186/s12891-020-03367-2.American College of Rheumatology.Gout.Wall C, Donnan L.Septic arthritis in children.Aust Fam Physician. 2015 Apr;44(4):213-5.Katz JN, Arant KR, Loeser RF.Diagnosis and treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis: a review.JAMA.2021 Feb 9;325(6):568-578. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.22171Radu AF, Bungau SG.Management of rheumatoid arthritis: an overview.Cells. 2021 Oct 23;10(11):2857. doi: 10.3390/cells10112857.Vaidya B, Bhochhibhoya M, Nakarmi S.Synovial fluid uric acid level aids diagnosis of gout.Biomed Rep.2018;9(1):60-64. doi:10.3892/br.2018.1097
6 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.Driban JB, Harkey MS, Barbe MF, Ward RJ, MacKay JW, Davis JE, Lu B, Price LL, Eaton CB, Lo GH, McAlindon TE.Risk factors and the natural history of accelerated knee osteoarthritis: a narrative review.BMC Musculoskelet Disord.2020 May 29;21(1):332. doi: 10.1186/s12891-020-03367-2.American College of Rheumatology.Gout.Wall C, Donnan L.Septic arthritis in children.Aust Fam Physician. 2015 Apr;44(4):213-5.Katz JN, Arant KR, Loeser RF.Diagnosis and treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis: a review.JAMA.2021 Feb 9;325(6):568-578. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.22171Radu AF, Bungau SG.Management of rheumatoid arthritis: an overview.Cells. 2021 Oct 23;10(11):2857. doi: 10.3390/cells10112857.Vaidya B, Bhochhibhoya M, Nakarmi S.Synovial fluid uric acid level aids diagnosis of gout.Biomed Rep.2018;9(1):60-64. doi:10.3892/br.2018.1097
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.
Driban JB, Harkey MS, Barbe MF, Ward RJ, MacKay JW, Davis JE, Lu B, Price LL, Eaton CB, Lo GH, McAlindon TE.Risk factors and the natural history of accelerated knee osteoarthritis: a narrative review.BMC Musculoskelet Disord.2020 May 29;21(1):332. doi: 10.1186/s12891-020-03367-2.American College of Rheumatology.Gout.Wall C, Donnan L.Septic arthritis in children.Aust Fam Physician. 2015 Apr;44(4):213-5.Katz JN, Arant KR, Loeser RF.Diagnosis and treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis: a review.JAMA.2021 Feb 9;325(6):568-578. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.22171Radu AF, Bungau SG.Management of rheumatoid arthritis: an overview.Cells. 2021 Oct 23;10(11):2857. doi: 10.3390/cells10112857.Vaidya B, Bhochhibhoya M, Nakarmi S.Synovial fluid uric acid level aids diagnosis of gout.Biomed Rep.2018;9(1):60-64. doi:10.3892/br.2018.1097
Driban JB, Harkey MS, Barbe MF, Ward RJ, MacKay JW, Davis JE, Lu B, Price LL, Eaton CB, Lo GH, McAlindon TE.Risk factors and the natural history of accelerated knee osteoarthritis: a narrative review.BMC Musculoskelet Disord.2020 May 29;21(1):332. doi: 10.1186/s12891-020-03367-2.
American College of Rheumatology.Gout.
Wall C, Donnan L.Septic arthritis in children.Aust Fam Physician. 2015 Apr;44(4):213-5.
Katz JN, Arant KR, Loeser RF.Diagnosis and treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis: a review.JAMA.2021 Feb 9;325(6):568-578. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.22171
Radu AF, Bungau SG.Management of rheumatoid arthritis: an overview.Cells. 2021 Oct 23;10(11):2857. doi: 10.3390/cells10112857.
Vaidya B, Bhochhibhoya M, Nakarmi S.Synovial fluid uric acid level aids diagnosis of gout.Biomed Rep.2018;9(1):60-64. doi:10.3892/br.2018.1097
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