Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Joint Stiffness in Normal Subjects and in Patients with Connective Tissue Diseases

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Abstract
Using a method of measuring joint stiffness in precise physical terms, it was shown that in normal and arthritic joints elastic stiffness is the major component in overall joint stiffness. There is significant plastic stiffness. Frictional and inertial stiffness are negligible, and viscous stiffness is small. A study of 62 white subjects without arthritis showed a significantly increased elastic stiffness in men, and increasing stiffness with advancing age in all subjects. Increased stiffness is produced by cooling the joint, by injection of saline around the capsule, in patients with active theumatoid arthritis and in some with inactive disease. Increased stiffness is also found in chronic tophaceous gout involving the joint and in systemic sclerosis. Decreased stiffness follows the warming of the joint, and is also found in certain hereditary connective tissue disorders.