Stiff Joints in the Morning

Whether it’s back, knees, hips, or another joint, every so often, or to some very often, they will start the day off by being achy, stiff, or have discomfort to some degree. What might be causing this? Is this normal? Are there ways to try and fix this? Many questions can be asked regarding it but at some point the annoyance of stiffness in the morning deserves to have answers.

For starters, let’s consider the most likely culprit for creating stiffness of joints in the morning. This culprit is much simpler than people think, it’s inactivity. Similar to pain caused by sitting too long in a car or standing too long waiting in line for something, joints during the night are in a position for extended periods of time with little to no movement. This lack of movement can often lead to joints adapting to whatever position they are spending prolonged time during the night and becoming achy as they begin to move when first waking up. 

So if being immobile during the night is causing stiffness in the morning, how can you move throughout the night to prevent the morning from being rough on the joints? Well unless you have a machine that moves your joints while you sleep, you can’t. However, there are some simple things you can try to prevent stiffness in the morning. First possible solution would be to start moving more throughout the day. As we age, we become more sedentary. Whether it’s a job, school, or something else, we aren’t quite running around and being active nearly as much as we were when we were younger. If you are at a desk job for 5-8 hours a day and then get a full night’s rest of 8 hours, that is now 13-16 hours of your 24 hour day that you are immobile. More walks, more stretches, and being more active can be an easy fix to help the next morning from being dreadful. Another possible solution would be to try simple exercises before going to bed that are specific to the joints you know will be stiff in the morning. Exercises specific to the joints that are most problematic can be effective at lubricating the joint before you go to sleep which can be helpful to reduce aches in the morning.

If stiffness in your joints has become more than just stiffness, has been around too long, or you are confused on where to start with what exercises might be good for the joints you have issues in. Reach out to us at Focus On Health and we will take you through a thorough exam and create exercise plans that are specific to you!