• SHOULDER STIFFNESS

    A neighbor asked if I could do a post on shoulder stiffness, and upon considering it, I figured I may as well discuss stiffness in general…especially the part on how to prevent it! As Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” And I think it goes double for joint stiffness. The good news is that in most cases, it can be easily and predictably prevented. The most common joints to stiffen as we age, and even more importantly, to cause functional problems, are our shoulders, knees and ankles. Let’s get down to business, starting with shoulders, per my neighbor’s request. Most shoulders stiffen because…

  • STIFFNESS: A COMMON SYMPTOM OF KNEE ARTHRITIS

    Stiffness is a common symptom of almost any bone or joint ailment, whether it be an injury or a chronic condition. Frankly, the aging human body would like nothing better than to curl up in the fetal position and stay there for a while, especially if injured or in pain. Think about it…who stretches out when they have a tummy ache, or when we hide, or if someone is attacking us? We curl up in a ball. It’s almost a reflex. When our bones, muscles and joints hurt, we tend to flex the muscles that surround the sore area. As time goes by, and we remain in that position, we…