My morning stiffness occurs, of course, in my joints. When I wake up in the morning, it feels like I have been struck by a mack truck or that I have been in a fight and lost horrendously. It hurts to get out of bed. My feet are stiff and cracks upon putting my weight on them. I am literally hobbling around until my feet adjusts. Any part of me that I have problems with such as my knees, my elbow, hands, shoulders, neck and back are stiff and painful. It is a must that I try and so some type of exercise to warm those areas up, painful or not. It shouldn't be hard for these doctors to understand a patient when they say they are stiff. You're like Tin Man off Wizard of Oz. You really need some kind of oil, or lubricant, to get your stiff joints moving. I hate when these doctors downplay what you are telling them as if you really want to take your time to come and sit in their offices just so they can tell you that you are not hurting at all. Then they will talk about you to their medical assistants, nurses, and so forth because I have heard conversations, on numerous occasions, outside the office door. Patient confidentiality my foot!