Pain in coccyx and lower back

[Joyful13]

Hello friends! I have PMR and GCA. For the past several weeks, I have been having severe pain in the coccyx and lower back. I have had X-rays which showed some osteoarthritis in the sacroiliac joints and symphysis pubis, but nothing notable in the coccyx area. This pain awakens me during the night, and stays with me most of the day. Have any of you experienced anything like this with your PMR? I am currently on Prednisone 4.5 mg, and Actemra monthly infusions for the GCA. The nights are miserable. I have also tried icing, heat, epsom salt baths and swimming. I am even taking some pain med. at night. The physical therapist gave me som exercises, but I hurt more after doing these exercises. Any suggestions or thoughts if this could be PMR related would be helpful.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I had horrendous low back pain that i was told was "wear and tear" and I'd have to learn to live with it - not very encouraging at barely 60! I couldn't stand or walk for more than a few minutes.

In fact it turned out to be entirely muscular and it was causing muscle spasm that irritated the sacroiliac joints. Once I lay down in bed I couldn't move - turning over was excruciatingly painful. It was bad during the day but sitting bolt upright with a hot water bottle eased it a bit.

The local hospital pain clinic diagnosed it as myofascial pain syndrome and worked on the spasmed muscles - a technique called needling and steroid shots into the trigger points that are a feature of MPS - and after a few months it was much better.

If it is muscular in origin then x-rays show nothing. Most doctors are unaware of it. Did the physical therapist examine you? Prod your back muscles? If they didn't - they wouldn't have felt the hard muscles.

One option would be a really good sports therapist - and some of us got benefit from Bowen therapy for this sort of pain. Both worth a try if your doctors declare themselves baffled.

[Joyful13 in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks PMR pro! The therapist did prod my muscles. She said the sacrum had moved and attempted to do some articulation. That was two weeks ago. Since then, the pain has increased. The past two days have been terrible. I can walk, but sitting and lying down increase the pain. I will look in to the Myofascial pain syndrome. I am so exhausted. Thanks for your comments.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Joyful13]

Have you spoken to a doctor about it? It does sound as if there was something wrong that the physical therapist may have made worse with her attempt to do some articulation. You might need an anaesthetic injection to relieve the pain.

[Joyful13 in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks PMRpro! I will be seeing the PT tomorrow. Yes, my doctor is aware of what is going on.