Morning Stiffness
This is one of the most significant symptoms associated with inflammatory disease. Here’s how to detect it:
Q1: How do you feel in the morning?
(An open question which if answered by the patient in any negative connotation should prompt a physician to delve deeper)
Q2: Is your morning worse than your night?
Q3: Do you feel similarly after prolonged sitting?
The slide below explains that our agility (ability to move) is reduced due to fluid accumulation in the joints after prolonged rest. This fluid rapidly redistributes normally but when it is present due to inflammation it takes much longer. My cut off for morning stiffness is 15 min – if it is lasting longer, then active Inflammatory disease is a possibility.