When does joint and tissue stiffness matter? Part 3 of all things stiffness (greglehman.ca)

• Stiffness as a symptom does not always require treatment – assess its causal role.
• Maladaptive guarding can be addressed with behavioral experiments and graded exposure.
• Tendon stiffness can be increased with heavy resistance training inducing high tendon strain.

"This article explores five scenarios where stiffness is clinically relevant: when the patient is concerned about it, when it's driven by maladaptive guarding, when mobility is needed for movement options or performance, when tissue stiffness enhances performance (e.g., tendon stiffness), and when it indicates systemic disease (e.g., morning stiffness >45 min). The focus is on clinical reasoning and avoiding unnecessary fixation on non-problematic stiffness."