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Why after 2 years with PMR have I now gone from muscle discomfort to knee and shoulder pain?

Posted , 11 users are following.

leonard12916
leonard12916

I have had PMR for 2 years now and been on Prednisone for the usual muscle discomfort and stiffness but the last few months have developed sore knees and shoulders that are waking me up during the night.  It's now very painful at times to get down on my knees!  Can any of you offer some explanations for what is causing this and suggestions for relief?  Is mild stretching to keep the muscles toned for these areas still a good idea or opposed to none?

0 likes, 33 replies

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  • pauline36422
    pauline36422 leonard12916

    Posted

    leonad after  3,5 years of pmr. and reducing perd.  i started with knee pain.which i never had before.  my gp suggested it coud be athritis so he said if it was still there on my next app   he would send me for xrays.  but mean while i booked for some bowens treatment. 3 sessions.  which cured the knee pain  and other niggly pains i had. i am back down to 4 mg  of perd  and still no knee pain. so  for £35  per session it was worth it     the othe thing  have you reduced too quickly.which is giving you the pain  even tho its in a differant place
  • EileenH
    EileenH leonard12916

    Posted

    It could simply be "advancing age" - in the form of osteoarthritis. Or it could be that your PMR has "progressed" (I'm using the word advisedly!) to become Late Onset RA or LORA. About one in six patients who are given a diagnosis of PMR originally go on to have that diagnosis revised at some later stage - and one of the things it can be is LORA. Whether it is that the PMR morphs into LORA or whether it was simply mistaken identity in the first place isn't known. My personal belief is that the patients for whom methotrexate works come into this group - it wasn't PMR, it was LORA or became LORA. 

    Or it could be that you have back problems putting strain on knees and shoulders - I do and Pauline mentioned it too. Bowen therapy helped us.  Or you may have developed a flare of the PMR in the form of bursitis or tendonitis.

    If you didn't have PMR and developed these symptoms - what would you do? I think you need a chat with your GP or rheumatologist. Have you tried icing the area to see if that helps the pain?

    And in the meantime - if the stretches don't hurt, keep doing them. However - if it causes more pain, be careful. Pain is always a sign there is something not right. And physical trainer who tells you "No pain, no gain" doesn't know what they are talking about - there has even been research confirming that is a fallacy and should never be used for assessing progress with exercise.

    • Oregonjohn-UK
      Oregonjohn-UK EileenH

      Posted

      Interesting your comment Eileen about back pain - my GP recommended I try to walk 'normal' and not put any undue strain on the muscles.  I have been trying over the past couple of months to walk upright, as I found myself walking like an 'old man' e'g. hunched over and with a gait!!  It seems to work, if I work on it, and have found I don't 'ache' as much as I did before.

      Buon Natale

    • EileenH
      EileenH Oregonjohn-UK

      Posted

      Posture has a great deal to do with back pain - in both directions. If you hurt, you automatically adopt the position that is least uncomfortable. An ignorant physio in the UK told me once my back pain was all my own fault, it was how I stood. She had it the wrong way round - I stood the way I did because of a back problem. The orthopod I saw in Germany showed me the x-ray he had taken with me standing - he could see the problem. I could see the problem! He did a great deal to improve it - some chiropractic (taught in his mainstream medical school in Germany) and months of massage working on the trigger points you've heard me waxing lyrical about in relation to myofascial pain syndrome. I also had wonderful physios in the Durham hospital.

      It's hard work - but if you can find a good Pilates class it helps enormously to get you to stand up straight with your pelvis in the right position. That is crucial - if it is wrong, so's the rest of your posture. You might be a lone man there - but don't fall into the trap of thinking strong blokes will have no problems! I saw rugby players buckling at the knees ;-)

    • Oregonjohn-UK
      Oregonjohn-UK EileenH

      Posted

      Thanks Eileen - will have a look aroud the local area for Pilates.  I did start tai chi but was unable to find a suitable local class - this seemed to be gentle exercise along with posture.
    • Anhaga
      Anhaga Oregonjohn-UK

      Posted

      If you want to keep learning tai chi there is a great tutorial on youtube - the best 4 hour tutorial.  The instructor goes over every move very carefully, including pointing out mistakes people tend to make.  I've been using it to help me learn the moves because I am a real klutz in class.  Besides the class is only once a week and you really need to practice every day.  
    • EileenH
      EileenH Oregonjohn-UK

      Posted

      My Pilates was part of the classes offered by the gym I had a weekday daytime membership for - saved a fortune! Pool, sauna, steam room, classes - what wasn't to like!
    • Oregonjohn-UK
      Oregonjohn-UK Anhaga

      Posted

      Hi Anhaga - I found the you tube videos and have downloaded them, there are plenty online but it a lot easier to learn in a class.  It's not that there are no classes it's the time/day and that I have no transport when my wife takes the car to work.
    • Anhaga
      Anhaga Oregonjohn-UK

      Posted

      That's why I recommended that 4 hour one - I just watch and follow one section at a time and keep going through and through it, day by day.  He is very slow, unlike some of the other demonstrations.  As I've said before, if there is an expression equivalent to "all thumbs" for one's whole body, that would describe me and tai chi!
  • mphooey
    mphooey leonard12916

    Posted

    My PMR diagnosis morphed into an RA diagnosis because of my knee activity. I just took a water aerobics class and am hoping that will keep the rest of me sound.

    I hope you are taking something for this.

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