Persistent Neck Pain

[stellafmdm]

I’ve been on 8mg for some time now and recently acquired a persistent one sided neck pain which no amount of painkillers would cure. I did not connect it with PMR as it was one sided. Forgot that my PMR is atypical! (Pred Head again) Eventually after trying everything decided to up the Pred. Better at 9mg, Gone at10mg! Success! I’m telling this tale in case anyone else has a similar problem to let them know that it is not a unique situation!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It could, though, be due to myofascial pain syndrome that is causing tightness in your shoulder muscles - that is what does it for me. Improves above a certain dose of pred, returns when I go below again. It is because MPS is due to the same inflammatory substances that cause PMR...

[stellafmdm in reply to PMRpro]

That is interesting PMRpro, does it affect the rate of pred reduction? I mean I suppose, will it always come back and prevent me from reducing when the PMR would allow?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to stellafmdm]

It tends to for me - if I get the MPS sorted out in other ways then I can manage with a lower dose of pred. My best friend is the physio and in the past (and again now I hope) the Pain Clinic, although here they look for a cause of the pain and work on that rather than teaching mental approaches, keeping that for things they can't sort out.

[stellafmdm in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks PMRpro, next stop the Physio I think!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to stellafmdm]

It is always worth the try - tight shoulder and neck muscles can be very painful. I found Pilates helped a lot - and i had a superb teacher who took account of PMR.

[Bronni]

That’s such a coincidence. I was just about to post about my neck pain! I had a flare last year which started with costochondritis and then the pain travelled up one side of my neck and became really painful in the bone behind my ear. I asked my last rheumy if he had heard of anyone else having this type of pain and he said no! Although I’m stable these days, I still get an ache/pain occasionally behind my ear. Just wondering if anyone else has that?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Bronni]

That sounds very suspiciously like back muscle tightness leading to the other problems.

[Bronni in reply to PMRpro]

That could well be. I do yoga, but sometimes wonder if I’m helping or hurting!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Bronni]

I also loved the Iyengha yoga I did - that and the Pilates did have a very good effect on my back muscles. But every so often I needed my Bowen therapist to soften up the tough bits!

[Bronni in reply to PMRpro]

Hmm 🤔. Now I’m thinking about it, the pain occurred when I was taking a break from yoga, because I was ‘too busy’. My class is fairly gentle and concentrates on stretching. Better get back to it! Thx!

[stellafmdm in reply to Bronni]

all the best Bronni, I hope you get it sorted!

[Bronni in reply to stellafmdm]

You too 🙏

[sennetta]

I have set up a good relationship with an osteopath - she is marvellous and doesn't just tweak skeletal bits. She looks at alignment of everything and does muscle work and deep massage where appropriate and she is very very careful and really thinks about and discusses with me what she is doing and what we are working towards. Together we have got rid of Carpel Tunnel probs and shooting pains up the left side of the neck. Maybe worth you considering the same.

[piglette in reply to sennetta]

My osteopath is brilliant, she knows how to treat someone with PMR too. She always manages to home in on the problem areas. The only trouble is at my appointment last week she told she is pregnant so I don’t know what I will do. I have used others in the past who were not a patch on her.

[1602]

Wow snap except my rheumy says the neck/shoulder pain is not PMR but Osteoarthritis and I am NOT to increase my pred. I did though!! back up to 11mg where not too bad but really wanted to go up again. Decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and am now trying to reduce to 10mg very slowly. Not really working. He said he would refer me to physio that was end of Oct, no appointment yet. He not happy with me though because I said I didn't want to try another steroid saving pill yet until I had Dexa scan and nerve conduction tests on my wrists and hands done and results available. Oh well life goes on. Keep smiling xxx

[Suffolklady]

Hello. Yes have the same problem in the left side of my neck mainly in the base of my skull near the ear. It’s can be very aggressive and will give me head pain a headache and eye socket pain especially when I use my arms a lot or even times if I sit for a time. Thought it was PMR but had a scan in 2016 and have wear on two disc. It was masked by the prednisone when taking 15mg down to 10mg but came back now I’m on 4.5 mg. I’m guessing PMRpro is absolutely correct in saying it’s myofascial Pain. My neck and shoulder muscles are tight and strained. No physio has helped in my case but like you I thought it was surely PMR.

[stellafmdm in reply to Suffolklady]

I upped my pred to 10 for the moment and the pain is almost gone! My whole spine is a mess as shown by MRI, so no surprises when something else starts to play up. !!!

[Suffolklady in reply to stellafmdm]

Same here. Two operations on my spine and a lot of pain that’s why it’s hard to know what’s PMR pain and what not. On 10mg and my pain is well under control but I'm not having pred for my other pains but it certainly works and it picks your mood up too.

[stellafmdm in reply to Suffolklady]

I'd really prefer to get back to 8mg where I used to be fine, but I'm not going to push till after the New Year!

[Suffolklady in reply to stellafmdm]

With Christmas coming you want to feel as best you can. I don’t know whether I did right but last week I felt so bad on 4.5 not so much pain although my neck was giving me gyp I upped it to 10 for two days, I felt like a naughty school girl, but in the next 24 hours I picked up big time and the second day felt much better (no neck pain) I reduced it back to 4.5 again and have felt not to bad.

[stellafmdm]

Well done Suffolk Lady, I too upped it to 10 for a couple of days and despite a long and rather hilly walk yesterday I'm fine today on 8mg! Normally tired only. Hopefully it will stay that way!