In osteoarthritis, that sliding motion becomes more like sandpaper on sandpaper because the cartilage has developed cracks and fissures, making the once-smooth surfaces ragged. The joint's response to the roughness is to fill the joint space with additional synovial fluid, a natural lubricant. During sleep and other times of idleness, the cartilage soaks up the synovial fluid like a sponge. The resulting dearth of lubricant in the joint space contributes to stiffness and soreness you feel after sleep and other long periods of idleness. Moving your joints squeezes the synovial fluid back into the joint space where it can do its job.
Cartilage does rejuvenate, albeit very slowly.
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