Hands and feet

My feet and hands hurt like h*££ before pred! My feet felt as if they had been crammed into shoes 2 sizes too small and I was walking barefoot on a mixture of sharp pebbles and broken glass. My hands I think was a mix of tendonitis and synovitis. Like knives stabbing into a joint. If I'm going to flare the hands bit still happens but not for long.

Oh, yes. Some days more than others and I think more so since I'm on a low dose... 2.5. It does depend on what I am doing. I have insoles for my shoes and a special one for the left foot which has a Morton's neuroma. It was so pain free on higher doses. You have my sympathy as we are on our feet so much and use our hands a lot. I don't know the answer but I had a more restful weekend and am not as sore. 

WElli finally get to go for the bloods tomorrow - even though i'm only 45 everything seems to be geared towards this rather than anything else - i'm getting so the mornings kill to try and lift my arms and get out of bed - i dont know why but i want to sleep with my arms above my head but trying t get them back down again after awaking i'm sure i scream out - the hips and kees feel very stiff and my feet and hands hurt the feet the biggest pads behind the toes (cant remember its name) and the pads of the fingers even driving is becoming uncomfortable and even washing up

I never put my Painful  hands down to PMR and can't wear Heels anymore.  I had my wedding ring cut off because my hands were swollen and sore. Its just another thing we gave to put up with and keep Smiling . It's good to know  you are not alone.  

My feet hurt quite a bit when I do too much, as I still work full time.. luckily have a lot of annual leave, so try to rest when it gets reall y bad....I use Epsom salts, and soak them... can't wear heels at all now, and have got from a size four to size five shoe.....x

Yes I frequently have painful feet particularly around the toe joints. My physiotherapist recommended Biofreeze in a pump action spray. It us a form of cryotherapy. very cold rather like putting ice on the area. You can spray through socks or tights. Available from UK pharmacies for about £10. 

Like Eileen I also get tendinitis. Particularly if I've done something repetitive like 15 minutes pruning with secateurs!! I've discovers that wearing a wrist support helps with that. 

When I was first diagnosed with PMR I had no problems with the hands and feet.   My rheumy put me on 20 mg of Prednisone and I thought things were going to be easy.  I knew nothing about reducing slowly.  Turns out that neither did my rheumy.  After 3 weeks he dropped me from 20 to 15 mg and I flared up.  It took 2 months before the PMR would behave again and only after I got boosted up to 30 mg.  In the meantime the painful hands and feet showed up along with swelling like you've described.  Now, many months later I'm back down to 17.5 mg and the swelling and pain in the hands has subsided.  No real pain in the feet anymore either but the swelling of the toes and the pad/cushion of the feet is still there.  The toes all look like they gained an extra knuckle.

I would spend four hours on my feet at work and was really ready for home by the end of my shift due to fatigue and my feet feeling like I was walking on bone. Hands very stiff and painful. Hubby picked me up for a 5 minute journey and when it came to getting out of the car I could hardly walk. It hasn't been as bad lately due to me being of sick with a very broken wrist after a fall...but when I'm in bed my feet and legs burn!

Been on Pred now since Wednesday 2nd Aug...... I think I'm starting to feel a difference.

The pains in my feet before prednisone was to the point i couldn't walk. It was excruciating in one toe so i went to a podiatrist who sent a note to the GP saying it was more than arthritis. Thank to her the GP'S looked for more.

Now if i overdo which lately is alot my feet hurt and throb. As for hands that was one of my 1st symptoms and they to would hurt so bad i would wake with them clenched and it would hurt to straighten. Typing for any time kills me. So my nemesis is feet and hands too.

Take care

Suzanne, you've started a tiopic dear to my heart at the moment.  I occasionally have stiff hands in the morning which resolve very quickly,  However, I've had on-going foot issues.

I’ve been on prednisone for almost 3 ½ years for PMR, starting at 40 mg with a couple of flares and reducing from 15 mg by .5 mg since the second flare last April.  When I started on prednisone I had the sensation of cotton covering the balls of both feet. It wasn’t at all painful, just weird. And no swelling whatsoever.  I put it down to a side effect of prednisone. This was somewhat confirmed when the sensation lessened as I reduced.

In late June, this year I began having pain in my left arch, followed by pain in the left arch a week or so later. These arch issues have now disappeared after getting out of sandals and back to full shoes with my prescription inserts. However, the “padded” balls of the feet are back worse than ever. I’ve also had a return on some of ‘my trigger PMR flare pain’ and have stopped my reduction to 10 mg from 10.5 and gone back to 11 mg for the last week.

I spend an hour or two a day for three weeks doing some major tree and shrub pruning, and gardening work.  My bad, I overdid things.   All seems to be improving at 11 mg, except for the padded feet.

This discussion now has me worried that this may be part of the flare.  In which case, I should perhaps go higher than 11 mg.   However, I will be seeing a Podiatrist at the end of the month.  I also have bunions with hammer toes developing.  I’ve worn sensible shoes all my life, inserts for 10 years (except for summer Mephisto or Birkensork andals) and never even dreamed of wearing high heels. Guess it’s genetics. 

I think I might mull the issue of the padded feet being flare a bit longer.  I tend to think I should rely on my usual trigger pains (triceps, neck and shoulders). All opinions welcomed on whether padded feet are PMR or prednisone.