Hand pain

Perhaps it would be a good idea to go to the ER anyway. Perhaps they could do the MRI to check if you have broken a bone etc. Do you have OA? I have it in one hand and at times the pain was ungodly. I don't have it anymore since I started using a mat

I had a lot of hand pain with PMR - tendonitis and synovitis. My wrists hurt on the inner side at the base of my thimb and then sort of diagonally across my forearm to my elbow. However, both hands were affected, though my right (dominant) was worse than left. So yes it COULD be PMR but if your left hand is OK I'd be less convinced. 

However - it could be inflammatory arthritis, possibly your PMR has been misdiagnosed, arthritis can have a PMR-type presentation.  Honestly no way of telling without some imaging being done.

In the meantime - have you treated it as if it were an injury? RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. If that doesn't work - try warmth.

Since you have spinal problems in your lower back don't overlook the possibility of a cervical spine issue. Nerves being impinged upon in the cervical region can present with symptoms in the hands. An MRI of the cervical spine will reveal any issues.

We ourselves in the same boat.  Pain and swelling in the right hand and a touch in the left.  It's been this way for a year.  In the interim, I have weaned off prednisone which was an achievement in itself, but certain PMR-like symptoms persist.

But the hands...they continue to bother me. And not equal in both hands.  My primary Rheumy has long suspected that it may be LORA - late onset rheumatoid arthritis - or some variant of inflammatory arthritis masking itself as PMR.  He  put me on hydrochloroquine which is also known as Plaquenil. Can't say that did much of anything, but my symptoms are mild - milder than yours - but persistent.  Trying now to taper off Plaquenil, and just this morning...just this morning...symptoms that are worrisome.

I did all sorts of fancy tests which showed and proved nothing.  I do suspect I have some form of inflammatory arthritis that falls into the mystery bucket of "we don't really know."  

I wish you well and will check for your posts.

Okay this is my second attempt. Tomorrow I'm going to see my rheumatologist. I am hoping she can figure out what's going on. What I know at this point is that as long as I don't use the hand and keep ice on it it doesn't hurt as much. But since it's my right hand and I am of course right handed it is very difficult. which is why this is my second attempt because I'm trying to do all this left-handed. And thank goodness for the dictation button.

I have also recently experienced wrist and thumb joint pain--could not lift regular pans, etc. I purchased a wrap around stablelizer that cinches around thumb, hand, and wrist; it helped so that I did not strain so much. Icing also helped.

 So, your big question, is it PMR? Since I have  Giant Cell Arteritis also, I noticed, when looking up not so common symptoms that  " most patients have poorly localized tenderness over the joints, especially the shoulders and hips. Synovitis was once excluded as a feature of giant cell arteritis, but moderate bland effusions can develop in the knees and occasionally other joints (eg, shoulders, wrists).  

I just went to my reumatologist last Friday--bloodwork done. I also had a sudden hearing loss with tinnitus like a dishwasher running in my head. I was tapering from 6 mg Prednisone, now will wait to see if bloodwork reveals some sort of flair. 

Good luck. What is interesting to me is that I am left handed--so that wrist is always in use, but the right wrist also has some pain.