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Hand pain with PMR

Posted , 17 users are following.

amkoffee
amkoffee

I am having a lot of pain with my hands. My rheumatologist insist that it can't be PMR. I know that a lot of you have said that you have pain with your hands. I even tried arguing with her but I got nowhere. She just said maybe I have RA. So I did a little research and I came up with a disease that is similar with PMR and often goes along with PMR. And I wondered if anyone here has ever heard of it. It's called RS3PE. It causes pain in the hands and the feet and yes my right foot hurts too. I'm going to bring this up to my rheumatologist and see what she says.

1 like, 39 replies

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  • Danrower
    Danrower amkoffee

    Posted

    Yes, after I have recovered, I found this in an app called Medical Wikipedia. I think it is a permutation of PMR, and often times distracts rheumy diagnosis. I did mine. Treatment is same as for PMR.

    I had significant feet and hand involvement which was initially considered to be LORA, late onset rheumatoid arthritis. misdiagnosis.

    Good luck

  • gillian_25383
    gillian_25383 amkoffee

    Posted

    Hi,my usual rheumatologist says it is PMRHad to see a different one a month ago as the nurse wanted me seen quicklyThis time my hands and feet were the main problem and this one (quite young)said it must be inflammatory arthritis as PMR does not affect hands.Luckily in May get to see my usual one;thank goodness as she is older and more experienced in PMR
  • java4u
    java4u amkoffee

    Posted

    I too have had hand pain for last six months

    Can not make a fist very hard to bend fingers without severe pain.somedays it is worse

    Was on 30mg of predsone

    Now at 5mg

    Managing pain and condition

    Went to specialist clinic for hand pain

    They did ultra sound looking for join inflamation

    Found very little evidence

    So no results just can not explain it

    With PMR there are no painless days just different levels of pain for each day

    Rumuy is stumped no explaination

    • EileenH
      EileenH java4u

      Posted

      Um - I rarely have PMR pain. But I will NOT compromise: I take the dose of pred I need.

      If I am having a flare or overdo things I will often get pain in the fleshy part of the base of my thumbs - I have it at present after driving 1800 miles since last Sunday morning from home in Italy to the UK (and back) for a family funeral which of course led to a late night for the "family reunion" that always happens at such events. Last night I upped my pred dose from 7 to 10mg and it helped today. But I'm home now - back to normal. 

    • java4u
      java4u EileenH

      Posted

      Thank you all for the comments

      Makes me realize im not going crazy trying to figure things out

      Hard to cope with sometimes but keeping informed and having knowledge confirms I am in a situation which requires a lot of patience and understanding

      The info from this site is comforting

      Thankyou again for the knowledge and understandings

    • amkoffee
      amkoffee EileenH

      Posted

      Eileen that is exactly where I get my pain too. I always have pain in my thumbs like you say the meaty part. But at this time it's grown to my fingers and even into my wrist

  • Dave-California
    Dave-California amkoffee

    Posted

    I have been working on PMR reduction with prednisone and methotrexate for almost 3 years. I have been on a slow ‘taper’ from 20 mg pred using a 5-10% reduction of the medication monthly over that period and now I’m down to 4 mg. However – one big issue that really bothered me, and didn’t follow the overall body pain reduction, was my HANDS. The pain in the hands was not like carpel tunnel – it was in all joints of both hands from the wrist to the furthest finger joint. Both hands were almost locked up in the mornings and needed constant flexing (which was painful) to allow me to open the marmalade jar ! The flexibility and pain level did improve slightly toward the evening but was never gone completely.

    I researched and discussed with my rheumatologist and was informed that PMR has an influence on synovial fluid loss in the hand joints. Most info regarding synovial fluid irregularities is from patients with joint disease related to knee effusions and most medical research is largely limited to findings in the knee joint, but there is evidence that it can occur with PMR.

    My rheumatologist started me with methotrexate (MTX) as well as pred after my first 'flare' and apart from this hand issue, I seem to be 'tapering' the pred quite well from 20mg to currently 4mg without any major issues. MTX (a DMARD) works as an addition ‘cover’ – OK for me but some others do not agree. My hand pain has now reduced to a very manageable level and I’m back to playing racquetball and can hold the racquet pretty well. Hope your problem goes away.

    Dave

  • shelley45866
    shelley45866 amkoffee

    Posted

    In my case, the massive inflamation that came with the PMR triggered Arthritis in my hands and feet.
  • EileenH
    EileenH amkoffee

    Posted

    Well he is wrong - the Leeds rheumatology group has done work that confirms that PMR CAN and DOES cause hand and foot pain. RS3PE is often identified along with PMR - or is it part of it? 

    Someone started a thread about it recently...

  • julian.
    julian. amkoffee

    Posted

    had stiffness between joints in fingers for longtime. About 3 months ago overdid things. Some swelling in hands and pain across wrist. Unable to open the marmalade jar (enough strength, too much pain). Increased pred from 3.5 to 5. Slowly subsided to least stiffness for a long while. Ready to try reducing again. At that level of pred I seem to have approached it as "whatever works".

    My pmr pain started in hands but mostly upper arms. Stiffness in legs. At the same time as changing from driving lots to cleaning/polishing (lots of small hand movements with lots of pressure). Occasionally, but not very often, I wonder if there is something else going on.

    I guess I don't mind what its called while the pred works.

  • iellen32
    iellen32 amkoffee

    Posted

    Hey smkofee, as much I would love to send my helpful experience I have GCA there are 4 years and my knowledgec is quite limited to help you as you need and expect.

    Sorry for all you are going through an hoping you get

    Improvements.

    Keep safe, take good care of you.

    iellen

    • iellen32
      iellen32

      Posted

      I am in the midst of a flare so I am tapering the steroid pred according to my comfortable symptoms.

      Hope you too, find your comfortable level of your dose of steroid.

      iellen

    • Anhaga
      Anhaga iellen32

      Posted

      Sorry you are not feeling so well.  Hope you get back on track quickly!
  • Roberta125
    Roberta125 amkoffee

    Posted

    Have had PMR for 2 years. Have had two flares as a result of tapering too quickly. Both times my only pain was a throbbing in my right hand. I have no arthritis. The pain went away immediately when I upped my prednisone. I play a lot of golf, tennis and cycle. Use my right hand a lot. If I flare again(hope I've learned) and it's in my right hand I will see about a cortisone shot on hand. Tried a cortisone cream but throbbing was too much to endure without upping prednisone. Wish you the best. This forum is wonderful

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