9 Tips and Tech to Prevent and Treat Stiffness

Avoiding and alleviating muscle and joint stiffness is within reach with these apps, gadgets, and simple tips.

If you frequently wake up with a stiff, achy body, you're not alone. Muscle and joint stiffness is a fairly ordinary circumstance that many people experience daily. A couple of the most common causes of stiffness are age, exercise, inactivity, and injuries. But what should you do about it?

The good news is that there are some straightforward steps you can take to prevent and treat stiffness. And the even better news is that you can use the power of tech to help you along the way.

Warming up is essential not only because it can get rid of sore muscles and cramping, but because it can alleviate stiffness. The Warm Up & Cool Down mobile app from Nexoft makes warming up quickly before your workouts super accessible and convenient.

To get started, add your age, weight, sports background, and target area and let the app choose a stretching workout plan that suits you best. The plans are available in three different levels—easy, normal, and hard—but you do have the option to create your own custom stretching plan if you'd like.

Download: Warm Up & Cool Down for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

If you're feeling stiff, it could be because you're not drinking enough water. To avoid stiffness from dehydration you need to use a daily drink tracker app like My Water. My Water allows you to add water you consumed during the day as well as other beverages like coffee, tea, milk, or juice.

You can then watch the percentage and meter continue to rise as you drink more water to reach your daily goal. Plus, if drinking water is something you always forget to do, you can set the app to send you reminders throughout the day.

Download: My Water for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

There are plenty of magical, massaging foam rolling movements that you can do to release tension and treat stiffness. What's more, foam rolling is an easy exercise that you can do at home—all you need is an innovative foam roller.

With a variety of vibrating foam rollers, Therabody's Wave Series has something to suit your needs. The Therabody Wave Roller, for example, is best for larger muscle groups, while the Therabody Wave Duo is specially made to target your back, spine, and neck.

But these devices have special smart features like customizable vibration frequencies and Bluetooth connectivity, which makes them so much more than your average foam roller.

Even though exercising can actually cause stiffness, especially if you're starting a new routine, it can also reduce overall stiffness by stretching muscles. That's why it's important to exercise regularly and turn it into a healthy, everyday habit.

The Alo Moves online platform offers nearly every kind of workout, from online barre workouts and online Pilates classes to intense HIIT sessions and even a unique series to teach you how to master different skills. The fitness programs range in difficulty, intensity, and duration, so you can choose whether you want to challenge yourself or not. For fitness lovers, try the advanced four-week Superhero Series. Or if you're a newbie, take it easy with the beginner Walking Series.

Practicing mobility can help prevent stiffness as well as enhance your range of motion. For some of the best online mobility classes and programs that use calisthenics, try Calisthenics Movement or Cali Move.

Complete Calisthenics and Mobility 2.0 are some of the best-selling programs from Cali Move. If you want to progress from level zero to five, Complete Calisthenics offers the entire Calisthenics bundle. Alternatively, Mobility 2.0 works best for those who already have some mobility experience as well as access to exercise equipment like a pull-up bar.

Upright is an easy-to-use posture trainer that can help you practice good posture and get rid of muscle tension and stiffness. But how does it work? All you have to do is simply stick the Upright device on your back using adhesive or clip it on using the Upright Necklace.

When the device is in position it uses built-in sensors to monitor your posture and then gives you feedback on it. Lastly, you can connect to the companion app to customize your setup, track your progress, and view your posture reports and statistics.

A good massage can really reduce tightness and stiffness, yet it's not always possible for people to visit a massage therapist, spa, or wellness center. That's where the Hypervolt massage gun from HyperIce comes into the picture.

These handheld massage devices are available in a range of classes, from the affordable and portable Hypervolt Go 2 to the pricier but extremely powerful Hypervolt 2 Pro. In addition, no matter which version you choose, they all make use of rapid percussion and several speeds to penetrate deeply and treat stiffness.

Yoga and Pilates can melt away stiffness, and the best part is you don't need to do an overly complicated routine to see results. The Down Dog Yoga app is one of the best yoga apps around, particularly because of how customizable it is. There are literally thousands of different configurations to choose from as you can pick the practice type, timing, music, level, and lots more.

The practice types range from relaxing restorative yoga to Hot 26 yoga. Furthermore, the Flexibility Flow practice is ideal if you want to work on your flexibility, too.

If you prefer to practice Pilates over yoga, The Pilates Class is the perfect app to help you get started. The app boasts a large library of various Pilates classes as well as barre, HIIT, strength, and even workout classes for expecting moms.

Additionally, there's a range of longer Pilates programs and fun Pilates challenges. To make finding the perfect Pilates class easier, you can filter classes based on duration, intensity, goal, target area, and equipment.

Download: Down Dog Yoga for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

Download: The Pilates Class for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

Don't start your day with stiffness; instead, relieve stiff muscles by stretching! StretchIt is the ultimate app and online platform that is all about stretching. There are tons and tons of stretching classes available, no matter what you're into. The Full Body Health program is a great 30-day beginner series to help target and release stiffness.

Alternatively, if you want to focus on nailing the splits or perfecting a backbend, then you can try one of StretchIt's community challenges or flexibility programs. You can also use StretchIt to incorporate stretching into your routine for health reasons like back pain or preventing injuries.

Download: StretchIt for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

As you get older, stiffness can become a regular occurrence. However, stiffness can also result from other aspects of life, such as old injuries, lifestyle choices, or even just sleeping in the wrong position.

But stiffness can be prevented and treated—you only need to know what to do and what tools to use. Therefore, no matter what is causing your stiffness, try these apps, devices, and tips to loosen up.

Christine has been writing professionally about tech since 2014. Now, with her knowledge about health, fitness, and food, she specializes in writing about wellness-related tech at MUO.