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I'm 38. I have a constant ache in my legs which feels like its at right at the top of my thighs/buttock area especially the right one. Sometimes my legs feel sore especially if I've been up a lot of steps or up a hill, though I do find generally walking helps relieve the ache. Sitting down for too long can be uncomfortable unless I stretch my legs out on a chair. Sometimes I get discomfort in the middle of my back and upwards, and arm ache. The pain in my head is like short, sharp random pains and the same in my neck.

I have had blood tests for full blood count and rheumatic/muscular conditions but everything came back clear.

Are you stiff when you get up in the morning? And after sitting? Do you suffer from fatigue - feeling tired even though you have just got up in the morning, more tired than is to be expected from what you have been doing?

Some of what you are describing sounds like something called polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) but it is an illness that is more common in over 50s so many doctors refuse to believe someone under 50 can have it. However, I do know people in their 30s who have had it. PMR isn't the illness itself really and there are a lot of different underlying causes which need to be ruled out. A related illness called giant cell arteritis has been proven to happen in people in their 30s and then there are other forms of this illness which is an inflammation of your arteries. Some are found in young people rather than older ones but they are all similar.

I take it the tests have been done by your GP? Just because "blood tests for rheumatic conditions came back clear" doesn't mean you can't have various sorts of arthritis - they told me that for 5 years too! No sign of rheumatoid factor, my ESR and CRP were normal (they are signs of inflammation) - but they are normal in about 1 in 5 patients with the rheumatism I have. Vasculitis (inflamed blood vessels) is difficult to identify without a specialist but it can cause a lot of different symptoms including arthritic pain.

I did get a lot of benefit from Pilates - but I also was very much helped by Bowen therapy. Is that a possibility? You will know in 3 sessions if it is going to help, possibly even sooner. It is, however, not acceptable to tell someone they need to do Pilates rather than find the cause of the problem.

Where do you live? I would be asking my GP for a referral to a rheumatologist - I can also imagine what your average GP is going to say because I'll lay odds he has you down as "hysterical female", "pre-menopausal" (though that is a possibility by the way, hormonal imbalances can also cause this sort of problem), "depressive". I'm pretty sure mine did! Had I seen a different doctor in the practice I would have been diagnosed far sooner as she had come across this before - so is that an option? A different GP? Have you a friend or family member who knows how much this affects you? Taking someone with you often concentrates a GP's mind too. 

I have seen different GP's within my local surgery but they all seem to say the same -muscular. They also say its down to anxiety as today I told him I find some foods get stuck in my throat over the past week. But I dont have a stressful life and I do take propranolol for anxiety which really helps but have only needed that since all this started, so cant believe its really anxiety related. My fiance knows how much I am affected by all this as I cant enjoy life properly at the moment and I cant rest properly until I know its nothing serious.

I wonder why the answer to everything these days is anxiety - it used to be "viral"!!

It doesn't matter - it needs an expert to rule out underlying causes of the muscular problems which I recognise as very similar to what I have, an inflammatory arthritis and then, if it is anxiety, it needs dealing with properly. A GP is just that, a generalist, and they can make a diagnosis of anxiety when other options have been ruled out. Take the man with you and ask for a specialist referral and see if it helps. Beyond that - I can't suggest anything else unless you can afford a private appointment, which you shouldn't need but in the absence of anything better has to be an option. You need a decent one though and that depends where you are.

Good luck.

Hi Eileen

Very confused now as I have found over the last day that the sore feeling down my legs and the constant ache have eased off a bit. Finding it easier going up steps now and more comfortable sitting down. After having this for 2 whole months it feels weird. Keep thinking surely it cant be anything that serious now as if it was then it would get worse not better. Have been worried about the possibility of cancer as well. I am just making sure I take it easy and dont over do things .

Rebecca

That's good to hear - I do hope it continues to improve. If it comes back at any point do ask your GP to refer you. Some sorts of autoimmune arthritis can appear for a while and then disappear as the autoimmine disorder that causes the symptoms waxes and wanes. Sometimes it will go into remission for years, sometimes it will never reappear. So let's keep our fingers crossed that's what it is!

Good luck

You should not use Voltaren gel, which is an NSAID, together with corticosteroids. Even though it is a gel, some of the substance is absorbed into the blood stream and can contribute to gastric problems.