Treating Shoulder Pain, a gift of PMR

[Hindags]

I never had shoulder pain until PMR. My PMR started in my right shoulder but THAT pain and stiffness went away very quickly. Then when I went back to my pre PMR exercises I realized that something was different in my shoulder. (well that was true for most of my body, felt like a loosely knit skeleton) I didn't have the PMR stiffness but certain movements or carrying medium weight things seemed to cause pain afterwards. I'm almost at 3 mgs now, average 3.33 at the moment. My markers, which have tracked inflammation faithfully, are low, my energy stable if not quite as much as I remember having pre PMR. All my blood work is fine. But my right shoulder pain is still a problem. My Rheumy diagnosed bursitis and has offered to give me a cortisone shot. She says she's had success with that.

My questions:

1.She hasn't mentioned taking any kind of images to confirm the diagnosis she made on the basis of putting me through a bunch of movements and eliciting the pain. IIRC PMRpro has recommended imaging to guide the shots. Should I request imaging and if so, what kind?

2.My osteopath agrees that the bursa is inflamed but is not in favor of a steroid injection because, she said, they weaken the tendons, ligaments and muscles in the area. She was able to improve the shoulder function at my last treatment, but it hasn't held as well as her usual manipulations. She recommend me going to see another osteopath who does ozone injections which supposedly oxygenates an inflamed area and that promotes healing. Anyone have had ozone injections? Did they help? Apparently this is more mainstream in Europe than here in the US.

Thanks as always

[Bronni]

I hear you with the ‘loosely knit skeleton’! Like one of those old dolls, where you can see the string between the joints 😀. I have good muscle tone, but get knee pain after lifting heavy stuff, which goes away if I rest for a day. I’m wondering if the pmr or pred affects the cartilage quality?

[Bronni]

Also maybe the exercise caused inflammation, while requires a little extra pred instead of a shot?

[Hindags in reply to Bronni]

I am waffling a bit about the pros and cons of going up. I know that if it is for a short time it might not affect my adrenals and HPA, but I’m a bit afraid of disassembling the Whole Swing Set, as PMRpro referred to it.

[Bronni in reply to Hindags]

I know it’s always disappointing having to up the pred! For me a little usually works. And just about every complaint I’ve had, when googled, I discover the treatment is corticosteroids! So I think it’s all inflammation & pmr related. As I’ve heard pmrpro call them ‘pmr add-ons ‘!She has some apt phrases.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I'm not sure you need imaging to guide the shots - my bursitis shots have been into the area, not into the joint and it is into the joint injections that need to be guided to improve the result (maybe).

Ozone injections? I've heard of a lot of strange stuff here in Europe. That ain't one!!

healthline.com/health/ozone...

Sounds very alternative to me. There's alternative and alternative...

Is your rheumy SURE it is bursitis? I'd want a rotator cuff injury ruled out - with imaging.

[Hindags]

Thanks PMR for the explanation. My Rheumy seemed pretty confident in her diagnosis, but I can readdress that.

[Hidden]

I had the same shoulder pain. A friend who's had PMR 25 years (!) told me to take Tylenol Arthritis (650mg) twice a day. I started doing that and a few days later the shoulder pain went away. Coincidence or luck or just things getting better on their own … I don't know, but the pain is gone which is the main thing. I have found weird and somewhat unrelated PMR pains and aches all over my body at random times over the past year and a half and I think that all of it is to do with PMR and just part of the whole 'thing'