Joints are places in your body where two bones come together, such as your wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.
Joints also exist where you might not think. For example, there are joints between the many bones in your feet, hands, pelvis, and spine.
What is joint stiffness?
Joint stiffness is when a joint won’t move easily. Stiffness is different from being unable to move because you're weak or not wanting to move a joint because it hurts. Joint stiffness also is different from muscle stiffness. Stiff muscles may come from overdoing exercise or less often from disorders such as polymyalgia rheumatica Polymyalgia Rheumatica PMR is an inflammatory condition that causes severe pain and stiffness in the muscles of your neck, back, shoulders, and hips. Doctors don’t know what causes PMR It usually occurs in people... read more or fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes you to have pain and tenderness all over your body, extreme tiredness, and sleep problems. You may have pain, stiffness, or achiness throughout your body... read more .
