Have you ever tried to bend or twist only to feel sore and stiff? Has doing normal daily tasks become painful or difficult? The body is made up of a number of joints that help you control your body to perform daily tasks for both function and for enjoyment. But what happens when you start to experience joint stiffness or pain? Joint stiffness is a common condition among both young and old people and can be onset by a number of different things. The good news is that joint stiffness is easily managed and treated.
Facts on Joint Stiffness
- Our body contains many different types of joints that help us control our daily movements.
- Synovial joints have the most mobility and allow you to move in many different directions (i.e., shoulder joints, hip joints, spinal facet joints, and ankle joints).
- A joint contains bone, muscle, tendons, blood vessels and nerves. All of which can be damaged causing stiffness or pain.
- Joint stiffness can be short term due to strains/sprains or can be a long term chronic condition.
- Joint stiffness can occur due to trauma, repetitive use, obesity (excessive weight on the joints), sports injuries, and more.
- As we age so do our tendons, muscles and bones leaving them weaker and more prone to stress and injury.
- Chronic conditions of joint pain include arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and inflammation.
Cause & Treatment of Joint Stiffness
Effective treatment of stiff joints and pain depends on diagnosis. It is important to determine whether it is chronic or short term and whether it has started to affect the surrounding structures. When your joints are stiff it means that your muscles and ligaments are also probably not functioning at an optimum level. To adapt to the joint stiffness your muscles and ligaments can stretch or shorten. A physical examination by a Bourassa & Associates’ university trained therapist can determine the underlying cause of your joint stiffness. Our therapists will work as a team to design a tailored treatment plan that can include but is not limited to:
- Hands on stretching of joints tissue and surrounding muscles
- Exercise instruction to maintain and stretch tight structures
- Exercises to strengthen weak muscles
Book Your Treatment & Start TODAY!
Our university trained therapists look forward to treating your joint stiffness so you can get back to pain-free daily activities!