Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Joint stiffness
Stiff joint
HP:0001387
What it means
Joint stiffness is a perceived sensation of tightness in a joint or joints when attempting to move them after a period of inactivity. Joint stiffness typically subsides over time.
Rare diseases that can present with this150
Very common80–99%
63- 3q13microdeletion syndrome
- Aase-Smith syndrome type 1
- Acromesomelic dysplasia, Grebe type
- Alkaptonuria
- Alopecia-contractures-dwarfism-intellectual disability syndrome
- Antley-Bixler syndrome
- Arthrogryposis-like hand anomaly-sensorineural deafness syndrome
- Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita-whistling face syndrome
- Arthrogryposis-oculomotor limitation-electroretinal anomalies syndrome
- Autosomal dominant congenital benign spinal muscular atrophy
- Autosomal dominant Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
- Autosomal dominant popliteal pterygium syndrome
- Autosomal recessive Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
- Autosomal recessive palmoplantar keratoderma and congenital alopecia
- Bowen-Conradi syndrome
- Brachydactyly-elbow wrist dysplasia syndrome
- Bruck syndrome
- Camptodactyly-joint contractures-facial skeletal defects syndrome
- COFS syndrome
- Congenital contractural arachnodactyly
- Distal duplication 15q syndrome
- Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica
- Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
- Freeman-Sheldon syndrome
- Giant cell arteritis
- Heart-hand syndrome type 2
- Hereditary hyperekplexia
- Holt-Oram syndrome
- Hypospadias-intellectual disability, Goldblatt type syndrome
- Infantile systemic hyalinosis
- Isolated distal symphalangism
- Isolated ectopia lentis
- IVIC syndrome
- Kniest dysplasia
- Kuskokwim syndrome
- Leri pleonosteosis
- Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis
- Lipodystrophy due to peptidic growth factors deficiency
- Marden-Walker syndrome
- Melorheostosis
- Mesomelia-synostoses syndrome
- Metaphyseal anadysplasia
- Metatropic dysplasia
- Micro syndrome
- Mietens syndrome
- Mucolipidosis type III
- Mucolipidosis type III alpha/beta
- Mucopolysaccharidosis type 1
- Mucopolysaccharidosis type 6
- Multiple symmetric lipomatosis
- Multiple synostoses syndrome
- Myhre syndrome
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease
- Peripheral motor neuropathy-dysautonomia syndrome
- Pseudoprogeria syndrome
- Reactive arthritis
- Schwartz-Jampel syndrome
- Sheldon-Hall syndrome
- Thumb stiffness-brachydactyly-intellectual disability syndrome
- Ulna hypoplasia-intellectual disability syndrome
- Waardenburg syndrome type 3
- X-linked Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
Common30–79%
17- Acromesomelic dysplasia, Hunter-Thompson type
- Acromesomelic dysplasia, Maroteaux type
- Baraitser-Winter cerebrofrontofacial syndrome
- Brachytelephalangy-dysmorphism-Kallmann syndrome
- Cardiomyopathy-cataract-hip spine disease syndrome
- Caudal regression syndrome
- Chikungunya
- Congenital unilateral hypoplasia of depressor anguli oris
- Cornelia de Lange syndrome
- Crane-Heise syndrome
- Cranio-osteoarthropathy
- Cryptorchidism-arachnodactyly-intellectual disability syndrome
- Diastrophic dysplasia
- Distal arthrogryposis type 1
- Dysplastic cortical hyperostosis, Al-Gazali type
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
- Flynn-Aird syndrome
The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Stiff joints
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Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.