Quick Facts
Joint Stiffness
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 or fibromyalgia.
