Joint Stiffness
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with Physician-supervised AI
Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Kaito Nakamura, MD (Rheumatology)
Dr. Nakamura is a rheumatologist who has practiced in the Ota Nishinouchi Hospital attached to Ota General Hospital, National Health Insurance Matsudo City Hospital, Chiba University Hospital, and the National Health Insurance Asahi Central Hospital.
Content updated on Apr 4, 2024
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How Ubie Can Help You
With an easy 3-min questionnaire , Ubie's AI-powered system will generate a free report on possible causes.
Questions are customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
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Your personal report will tell you
✔︎  When to see a doctor
✔︎  What causes your symptoms
✔︎  Treatment information etc.
People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
The little finger of the right hand is stiff
The little finger of the right foot is stiff
The middle finger of the right foot is stiff
The middle finger of the right hand is stiff
The middle finger of the left hand is stiff
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
About the Symptom
Joint stiffness is the sensation of difficulty moving a joint or the apparent loss of range of motion of a joint. Joint stiffness may sometimes follow a pattern: worse in the morning that gets better with movement or worse at the end of a the day after lots of movement. It is often accompanied by pain and swelling.
When to see a doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
Muscle weakness in the limbs
Difficulty breathing / breathlessness
Gross hematuria
Swelling of the affected area
Low back pain
Recent weight loss
Fever
Disorder of consciousness
Fainting with loss of consciousness
Altered mental status (delirium)
Numbness / sensory disorder
Repeated fever above 38 ℃
Dysphagia
Impossible to walk normally
Possible Causes
Generally, Joint stiffness can be related to:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
A chronic inflammatory disease where the body's immune system attacks multiple joints, most commonly in the hands and feet. The cause and trigger is unknown.
- Fibromyalgia
A condition causing widespread pain and muscle aches throughout the body that may come and go with certain identified triggers. The cause is not well understood.
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
An autoimmune disease caused by the body's immune system attacking organs and cells. The exact cause is unclear, but risk factors include being female, childbearing age, and heredity. SLE may involve nearly every organ system in the body with a wide range of potential symptoms that often wax and wane over time.
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
- Shoulder Periarthritis
- Lumbar Vertebrae Disk Herniation
- Neuropathic Pain
- Behcet's Disease
Related serious diseases
Sometimes, Joint stiffness may be related to these serious diseases:
- Malignant Syndrome
Also known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), it is a rare and serious reaction to certain medications. Symptoms usually begin within hours to days after exposure to the medication but can sometimes occur up to a month after starting it. Common causative medications include antipsychotics and occasionally drugs used to treat or prevent vomiting, Parkinson's disease, etc. Symptoms include dangerously high body temperature, muscular rigidity, and severe agitation and altered mental status.
- Cellulitis / Erysipelas
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
Are your joints stiff?
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Find Similar Symptoms
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References
Watson H, Lynggård Hansen A, Calusi G, Bartels LE. Musculoskeletal stiffness is common in healthy adults and increases with age. Musculoskeletal Care. 2021 Mar;19(1):3-8. doi: 10.1002/msc.1501. Epub 2020 Aug 18. PMID: 32812344.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32812344/
Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Kaito Nakamura, MD (Rheumatology)
Dr. Nakamura is a rheumatologist who has practiced in the Ota Nishinouchi Hospital attached to Ota General Hospital, National Health Insurance Matsudo City Hospital, Chiba University Hospital, and the National Health Insurance Asahi Central Hospital.
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Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery
Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Associates
