They're out of balance.
It's only a mild sign.
But if you take heed at this stage and discover the cause, then you may be able to prevent further deterioration.
How do you do that? First look for the reasons why you developed the stiffness.
These are the occurrences in your life just prior to the first signs.
For example, a gardener or a farrier may have a stiff back after doing a lot of bending work which entails lifting heavy objects.
Someone training to run a marathon may get stiffness in their body from the exertion.
Stiffness doesn't always come from over-exertion or injury.
It can also come from being cold, from not eating a balanced diet, from taking medication, or from a multitude of other reasons, unique to you.
If you can see a connection, and take appropriate remedial action, then this is likely to be the best cure for your stiffness.
However, the cause is often not so obvious, at least not to an untrained mind.
So the next best way to take remedial action is to carefully examine your symptoms.
- Is your stiffness worse in the morning, on first stirring?
- Does stretching make it better or worse?
- What about the application of heat or cold? Which is more helpful to you (discounting the numbing effects of ice)?
- What about movement - are you like a rusty gate, stiff to get going, but better once you have 'oiled the wheels'?
The list is endless, as every individual will have their own 'symptom picture', a collection of symptoms.
Once you can clearly see what your body is expressing, you are in a great position to use some of the common homeopathic remedies found in most home prescribing kits.
Homeopathy is a powerful but gentle form of natural and complete health care.
It is also a very flexible form of health care in that you don't need to know very much to be able to use some of the common remedies in the comfort of your own home.
And all comprehensive home prescribing kits will carry some common remedies which may be able to help most people with body stiffness.