RT Book, Section A1 Smith, Claire A1 Fisher, Beth E. A2 Davenport, Todd E. A2 Kulig, Kornelia A2 Sebelski, Chris A. A2 Gordon, James A2 Watts, Hugh G. SR Print(0) ID 1133835009 T1 Stiffness T2 Diagnosis for Physical Therapists: A Symptom-Based Approach YR 2013 FD 2013 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780803615281 LK fadavispt.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1133835009 RD 2024/03/19 AB This chapter describes pathology that may lead to stiffness of the body. Stiffness is both an objective event that can be perceived by a clinician and a subjective phenomenon that is perceived by the individual. The increased resistance to movement a therapist feels while passively moving a limb of his or her patient might be described as stiffness. Additionally, stiff might refer to a patient's description of how the limbs feel when he or she attempts to actively move or bend. Subjective stiffness may arise from issues with motor sequencing and recruitment, coordination, and the length of passive structures.