Moving more slowly or feeling stiff: causes and next steps

Feeling stiffer or slower than you used to has many possible causes. Often the problem is in the joints or muscles rather than the brain. Osteoarthritis makes joints painful and stiff. Polymyalgia rheumatica causes stiffness in the shoulders, neck and hips, mostly in people over 65. Medicines, low mood and tiredness can also make you feel slowed down.

Parkinson's disease is the cause many people worry about. Its main symptoms are slowness of movement, stiff muscles and tremor. It usually comes on gradually and is mild at first. That is the reason to see a GP if slowness or stiffness is new and keeps getting worse, even if it seems minor.

This guide explains the common causes, the warning signs, and what a GP will check.

Get help now

Call 112 or 999 (Ireland), 999 (UK) or 911 (US) if you have:

• sudden weakness or clumsiness on one side, a drooping face, or slurred speech. These are signs of a stroke. Call even if the symptoms go away.
• a high temperature, muscle stiffness, heavy sweating and confusion while taking an antipsychotic medicine, or an anti-sickness medicine such as metoclopramide. The NHS says these can be signs of neuroleptic malignant syndrome.

Contact a GP immediately (in the UK, NHS 111) if you have stiffness in the shoulders or hips and also:

• a new headache, or a sore or tender scalp
• pain in the jaw or tongue when eating or talking
• problems with your sight, such as double vision or loss of vision

These can be signs of temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis). The NHS says it can lead to stroke or blindness if not treated quickly.

Call your doctor or NHS 111 for advice now if you take an antipsychotic such as olanzapine and start shuffling slowly when you walk, trembling or shaking.

See a GP (not urgent) if:

• you are moving more slowly, feel stiff, or have a tremor or balance problems, and it is new or getting worse
• you have pain and stiffness for more than a week

Slowness and stiffness are not the same thing

It helps to separate a few different feelings:

• Stiff, painful joints, often worst first thing or after resting. This usually points to the joints, such as arthritis.
• Stiff, aching muscles around the shoulders, neck or hips. This can point to polymyalgia rheumatica.
• Movements that are slower than normal, so everyday tasks get harder, or a slow, shuffling walk with small steps. Doctors call this bradykinesia. It is one of the main symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
• Feeling slowed down in body and mind, with tiredness or low mood. This often has a different cause.

Note which one fits you best. Your GP will ask.

Common causes

Osteoarthritis

The NHS calls osteoarthritis the most common type of arthritis in the UK. It causes pain, stiffness and problems moving the joint. Morning stiffness from osteoarthritis usually wears off within 30 minutes of getting up.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis causes joint pain, swelling and stiffness. The stiffness is often worse in the morning or after inactivity. The NHS says it often lasts longer than the 30 minutes typical of osteoarthritis. You may not be able to fully bend your fingers or make a fist.

Polymyalgia rheumatica

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) causes pain, stiffness and inflammation in the muscles around the shoulders, neck and hips. The NHS says the main symptom is morning stiffness that lasts longer than 45 minutes. Other symptoms can include extreme tiredness, loss of appetite, weight loss and low mood.

Most people diagnosed are over 65, and it is very rare under 50. It is usually treated with a steroid medicine. Up to 1 in 5 people with PMR develop temporal arteritis, which needs urgent treatment. That is why the symptoms in the box above matter.

Medicines

Some medicines can cause stiffness, shaking or slow, shuffling movement:

• Antipsychotics. The NHS lists shaking and trembling, and muscle twitches and spasms, among their possible side effects. For olanzapine, it lists shuffling slowly when you walk as a serious side effect to report straight away.
• Metoclopramide, an anti-sickness medicine. The NHS says its most common serious side effect is uncontrollable movements, such as tremors, muscle stiffness and spasms. This can happen as soon as you start it.

Our article on what antipsychotics actually do explains how they work and why they can affect movement. If slowness or stiffness started after a new medicine, ask your doctor whether it could be the cause. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without talking to them first.

Low mood and tiredness

Depression can slow you down physically. The NHS lists "moving or speaking more slowly than usual" among its physical symptoms, along with lack of energy and unexplained aches and pains. An underactive thyroid can cause extreme tiredness and difficulty thinking clearly. A blood test can check for it.

If you mainly feel exhausted, our guide to feeling tired all the time covers the usual causes. If low mood is part of the picture, talk to your GP, because depression is treatable.

If you are struggling or having thoughts of harming yourself, call Samaritans free, any time, on 116 123 (Ireland and UK). In Ireland you can also text 50808. In the US, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 112 or 999.

Parkinson's disease

NICE guidance in England says Parkinson's should be suspected in people with tremor, stiffness, slowness, balance problems or walking problems. The NHS describes the main movement symptoms as:

• slowness of movement (bradykinesia): everyday tasks become harder, and walking can become slow and shuffling, with very small steps
• muscle stiffness (rigidity): stiffness and tension that can make it hard to move around or make facial expressions, and can cause painful cramps
• tremor: shaking that usually begins in a hand or arm and is more likely when the limb is resting

Symptoms usually develop gradually and are mild at first. Not everyone has a tremor. Parkinson's can also cause constipation and sleep problems, and loss of the sense of smell sometimes appears several years earlier. Most people develop symptoms over the age of 50.

Our article on Parkinson's disease treatment covers what treatment can do. If you have a tremor and are not sure what kind, see essential tremor or Parkinson's.

Less common causes

These are rarer conditions that a specialist may consider:

• Dementia with Lewy bodies. This can cause slow movement, stiff limbs and tremors. It also causes problems with thinking, confusion or sleepiness that can change over minutes or hours, and seeing things that are not there. Our guide to Lewy body dementia explains why it is often missed.
• Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). A type of excess fluid in the brain, mainly affecting older people. The first sign is usually a change in walking: trouble taking the first step, feeling "frozen to the spot", or shuffling. Bladder problems and slowed thinking often follow. The NHS says the thinking symptoms should start to improve when NPH is treated.
• Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). A rare condition, usually starting over 60. It causes balance problems with frequent falls, muscle stiffness, and difficulty moving the eyes, especially looking up or down.
• Multiple system atrophy (MSA). A rare condition that can cause slow, clumsy or unsteady movement and stiff muscles. It also causes dizziness on standing and bladder problems. It usually starts over 50.
• Stroke. Sudden weakness, clumsiness or problems with balance and co-ordination are an emergency.

What your GP is likely to ask and check

The NHS says a GP will ask about your symptoms and medical history. For possible Parkinson's, they may ask you to do simple physical tasks, such as walking around. Expect questions such as:

• Which feels worse: stiffness, slowness, pain or tiredness?
• When did it start, and is it getting worse?
• Is it on one side or both?
• Is it worse in the morning, and for how long?
• What medicines do you take, including any started recently?
• Have you noticed changes in your sense of smell, sleep or bowels?
• How is your mood?

Blood tests may help look for causes such as an underactive thyroid or inflammation.

If your GP suspects Parkinson's, NICE says you should be referred quickly, before starting treatment, to a specialist. The NHS says this is usually a neurologist or a geriatrician (a specialist in older people's health). In Ireland, our guide to getting referred to a neurologist explains the routes.

There is no single test for Parkinson's. The diagnosis is clinical, based on symptoms, history and examination. NICE advises against using a standard MRI scan to diagnose Parkinson's, though it can help rule out other conditions. A specialist brain scan (a type of SPECT scan) may be used if it is unclear whether a tremor is Parkinson's or essential tremor.

What you can do now

• Keep a short note of what you notice, when it started and what makes it better or worse.
• Bring a list of all your medicines, including any started in the last few months.
• Stay active. NICE suggests physiotherapy and physical activity advice in early Parkinson's. Regular exercise is part of the NHS advice for osteoarthritis.
• If someone close to you has noticed changes, consider bringing them along.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal to get stiffer as you get older?

Some stiffness is common, and osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. But see a GP if stiffness lasts a long time in the morning or affects both shoulders or hips. The same goes if it comes with slowness or a tremor.

What are the first signs of Parkinson's?

The main symptoms are slowness, stiffness and tremor, usually starting gradually and mildly. The NHS says loss of smell sometimes appears several years before other symptoms. These symptoms are common for other reasons too, so none of them means Parkinson's on its own.

Can low mood make you move more slowly?

Yes. The NHS lists moving or speaking more slowly than usual as a physical symptom of depression. But slowness or stiffness that keeps getting worse should not be put down to mood without a check. Your GP can help work out what is going on.

Why am I so stiff in the morning?

Morning stiffness that wears off within 30 minutes is typical of osteoarthritis. Stiffness in the joints that lasts longer may point to rheumatoid arthritis. Stiffness lasting more than 45 minutes around the shoulders and hips can be polymyalgia rheumatica. See a GP if it lasts more than a week.

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you the cause of your symptoms. If you are moving more slowly or feel stiff and it is new or getting worse, see your GP.

Reviewed by: Proco Team

Last updated: November 2026

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