Worsening Symptoms With Inactivity
The knees may become stiff after sitting for a long period of time or during sleep. People with knee arthritis often find pain and stiffness when they try to get out of bed in the morning or when they keep their knee inactive for a long while or if they try to move out of a chair after a long period of sitting.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597216/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5851845/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25639569/