Morning Stiffness in Joints
Free Symptom Checker
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 Dec 6, 2023
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
Worried about your symptoms?
Start the test with our free AI Symptom Checker.
This will help us personalize your assessment.
By starting the symptom checker, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Try one of these related symptoms.
Long stiffness in the morning (>1 hr)
Hands stiff early in the morning
Can't move my joints smoothly in the morning
How Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is 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.
Your symptoms
Our AI
Your report
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
- Joint stiffness lasts more than an hour in the morning
- Prolonged stiffness in the morning (more than 1 hour)
- Morning stiffness usually lasts more than 1 hours
- Long morning stiffness (lasting more than 1 hour)
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizAbout the Symptom
Morning stiffness is the sensation of difficulty moving a joint or the apparent loss of range of motion of a joint that occurs in the morning usually after getting up. Many times it may improve with increased movement over the course of the day.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Morning stiffness in joints
Possible Causes
Generally, Morning stiffness in joints can be related to:
- Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica is a chronic, inflammatory disorder of unknown cause. It typically affects women more than men over the age of 50. Classic symptoms include pain in the neck, shoulders, hips, upper arms and thighs.
- 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.
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a type of arthritis that occurs in children under 16 years old. It's a chronic condition characterized by joint pain and swelling that can last for months or years. It affects one or more joints for at least 6 weeks. JIA occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues The cause of JIA is unknown.
- Peri-/Post-Menopausal Symptoms
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
- Scleroderma
- Lumbar Spondylosis
- Neuropathic Pain
- Chronic Pain
- Migraine
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Do you have prolonged morning joint stiffness?
- How long have you had joint stiffness lasting for more than an hour in the morning?
- Have you experienced prolonged morning joint stiffness?
- How would you describe the progression of your joint stiffness in the morning since it first began?
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizFind Similar Symptoms
Similar symptoms or complaints
Symptoms from similar body parts
Symptoms treated by the same specialty
References
Lineker S, Badley E, Charles C, Hart L, Streiner D. Defining morning stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol. 1999 May;26(5):1052-7. PMID: 10332967.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10332967/#:~:text=Results%3A%20These%20findings%20resulted%20in,and%20gets%20better%20with%20movement.
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.
What People Say about Ubie?
Male, 30s
I got more answers in one minute through your site than I did in three hours with Google.
(Sep 29, 2024)
Male, 20s
My experience was great. I was worried, but the symptom checker helped me narrow down what it might be. I feel a little relieved compared to when I first started, and it gives me a starting point for what my symptoms could mean.
(Sep 27, 2024)
Male, 50s
The questions asked and possible causes seemed spot on, putting me at ease for a next-step solution.
(Sep 26, 2024)
Female, 40s
I was actually very impressed with the results it provided because, although I didn’t mention it during the questionnaire because I thought it was unrelated, it suggested I may have something I’ve actually been diagnosed with in the past.
(Sep 25, 2024)
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizUbie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Our symptom checker AI is continuously refined with input from experienced physicians, empowering them to make more accurate diagnoses.
Ubie is recognized by healthcare and tech leaders
“World’s Best Digital
Health Companies”
Newsweek 2024
“Best With AI”
Google Play Best of 2023
“Best in Class”
Digital Health Awards 2023 (Quarterfinalist)
Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1