Is it normal with PMR for the skin to feel tender to the touch?

[Badgergirl]

I have had this throughout the 6 months of PMR. The skin over the muscles affected by PMR feel sore to the touch - a bit like when one has the flu. I am wondering if this is a symptom of PMR or something else.

[iforget]

I experience the same thing and I assumed it was connected...I will be watching for replies with interest.

[polkadotcom]

Yes, I experienced this for several years and at first it was just something I noticed and thought no more about. Later I realised that, while others were finding this particular problem disappeared over time, mine didn't and in fact got progressively worse.

The answer came when I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as well as everything else, but I hope that others find it simply diminishes over time as I'm sure it does in most cases.

[suzieh]

I have had the same soreness on and off for about 2 years and have assumed it is all part of the PMR. Not always in the same places. Some days worse than others. I do Pilates and yoga which involves a lot of tuning in to your body - sometimes during the classes I realise another area feels sore. I also get shooting pains in shins and fingers and wrists at times...... Is this part of PMR too or arthritis or something else? My 88 yr old mother in law says she has no pains anywhere.... Lucky her!!

[Annodomini]

You will probably also find that skin thinning is a side-effect of prednisolone and this may well make it feel more sensitive. I have suffered from unsightly surface bruising on my arms but this improves as you reduce the dosage and with application of an excellent moisturiser - Double Base.

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Yes, I experienced this, with my shins being one of the most painful areas to touch for a while. At the time, I remember wondering if I also had Fibromyalgia which causes various points on the body to feel sore under pressure. This resolved spontaneously and never reappeared. By far my worst experience was pre-diagnosis when I couldn't bear anyone touching my shoulders and was unable to bear even the bra straps. This eventually disappeared once on steroids.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Yes - me too. I remember telling my GP that if I touched my biceps firmly, as you would if taking a pulse at the wrist for example, I could feel the fingerprints for ages afterwards. He obviously thought I was nuts (he never did recognise PMR). Like Celtic my shins and achilles area were very tender and any of the physical therapies I used to survive PMR without pred made me jump and squeak! I had to give up wearing shoes other than Birkenstocks and Meindle mountain walking shoes! Really not the look for a formal do!

It all improved with pred eventually and that has now all gone - to be replaced with shooting sensations like electric shocks particularly on the inside of my elbows and thighs. No one has any idea what these are - but a LOT of people with PMR/GCA have mentioned something similar on forums at some time or other.

[dimas62 in reply to PMRpro]

I have had problems with tendonitis for over 10 years and one of the symptoms was shooting sensations like electric shocks. I understand that weakening of tendons etc is a side effect of pred so maybe this is the cause?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to dimas62]

I don't know - except when I tore a knee ligament 3 years ago it healed in no time, even the doctors were surprised. That was after nearly 2 years of pred. The places I definitely don't feel it is in my hands and achilles/feet. I had an inflamed achilles 2 years ago, crutches for 9 months, and my hands and feet were awful with untreated PMR.

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

PMRpro

" to be replaced with shooting sensations like electric shocks particularly on the inside of my elbows and thighs"

Could it perhaps be 'things' coming back to life now on the very low doses?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Celtic]

If that's the case sometimes I'd like them to die again! When I was in hospital 2 years ago the sensations while they tried to get a cannula in my arm were horrendous! The nurses weren't hurting me inserting the needle but the shooting pains were awful and I squealed - they thought it was them!

[suzieh in reply to Celtic]

The pains I got pre diagnosis were like sharp electric shocks - arms and shoulders. In between they felt heavy and sore and I dreaded moving because of the pain. Pred stopped that for me. Now I just have the sore feelings. Reducing slowly now on 3.5 mg. feel ineed to stick on this until sore feelings go ? Any advice?

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Ouch! The only pains I've experienced over the years that sound similar have been bouts of sudden shooting/stabbing pains every few seconds in the side of my face and through my eye which I've always assumed to be neuralgia. However, it was set off a couple of years ago following dental drilling of an upper tooth and lasted several weeks and postponed further planned treatment - the dentist did admit to having drilled very close to the nerve! Perhaps GCA made the nerves more susceptible in my case - could you perhaps be doing more exercise now on the lower doses and feeling better, therefore aggravating PMR/GCA/steroid-battered nerve-endings?

[Frankie54]

Been on pred since February and having problem myself at the moment with a corn. Wouldn't mind but have had it for at least 30 years and has never caused any discomfort. Now got a red spot in middle, as if it's bleeding under the skin, and within a few hours of putting shoes on it hurts like mad! Could it be that even the skin on corns gets thinner?!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Frankie54]

Get thee to a chiropodist! I've had a few sessions over the last couple of years and wish I'd gone sooner! The corn is a response of your body to something causing pressure at that point - it's thickened skin made in response to that. I found that my feet were very tender in the early days of PMR and I was discussing this with my friend who is a pedicurist the other day - she is also a trained physiotherapist. The PMR makes us walk a bit funny (dead medical scientific phrases there ) and can change the way the pressure is being exerted at those points. So is changing that corn's environment suddenly whereas normally they develop slowly over a long period. It may also be that a verruca is forming at the same place - but it needs an expert to see. I can't see the bottom of my feet anyway!

[Badgergirl]

Thanks for your replies everyone. It seems some of you are getting shooting type pains. My skin actually feels scalded - a bit like sunburn - when touched or brushed against even when the steroids have done their job with the muscle pains. It has been like this even before I started on pred so unlikely to be due to thinning skin. As it seems more like polkadotcom's sensations I am therefore now wondering if it is fibromyalgia on top of PMR. I haven't got sensitive patches anywhere other than on my upper back though.

[JJ2013 in reply to Badgergirl]

I have this also. My Rheumy says it is Fibromyalgia. I also have the sharp shooting pains, but this is different. I can touch just about anywhere on my body and it is sore to the touch.

[Greensleeves]

Hi Badgergirl,

I have been having strange sensations on the skin on my tummy , and also on my ribs where my bra is. I keep thinking I've got shingles coming or something but there's nothing to see or feel apart from little nerve shocks.

Before the PMR was diagnosed I would have what I can only describe as agonising electric shock pains in my arms and shoulders after any sudden movement.

I always ache and feel as though I've got a touch of flu. The sweating is awful at the moment , I was on the tube yesterday and I was visibly drenched.

It's coming up to 2 years now and I'm on 6mg after a few flares where I've had to go back to 10mg. .

So it seems the tenderness you describe is yet another symptom.

Wishing you well.

Take care. xx

[Badgergirl in reply to Greensleeves]

Hi Greensleeves,

Yes, strange sensations. Perhaps it is the nerve endings in the skin. It's a very surface tenderness.

Yesterday was too muggy for PMR sufferers. I too was drenched in sweat.

Well done for being down to 6 mg. Hopefully, your PMR journey will be over soon! My dreadful rheumatologist that I spoke about on another thread said I should have been down to 5 mg within 4 months. How crackers is that!?

Have a good weekend x

[Greensleeves]

Hi Badgergirl,

I do believe you're right about it being nerve endings, surface tenderness is a perfect description of these strange sensations.

I also thought about Fibromyalgia , but quickly put it out of my head as the PMR and monthly UTI's are more than enough at the moment thank you

It was a very muggy uncomfortable day yesterday , we must get terribly dehydrated with all the sweating.

I didn't see your thread about the rheumatologist , his doesn't appear to know much about PMR . You do what feels right for you and your symptoms. Take it nice and slowly , staying on a level where you don't feel too uncomfortable.

My GP wants me to be completely off the Prednisolone in 3 weeks when I see him next !!. None of us want to take steroids and suffer the awful side effects , stupid medics .

We get more help and advice from the people on this message board. Thank goodness we have the wonderful people who contribute and offer suggestions to help us get through this PMR journey.

You have a good weekend too.

xx

[bluejaygirl]

My skin feels like a bad sunburn. Some days are worse than others.

[Badgergirl in reply to bluejaygirl]

Seems very similar to mine. PMR (and the pred) does weird things!

[JJ2013]

My rheumatologist says the "sore to the touch feeling" is Fibromyalgia. It's sometimes hard to know what's PMR and what's Fibro - especially when reducing prednisone dosage. PMR pains respond to prednisone and Fibro pains do not - but it's hard to differentiate sometimes.