AREAS AFFECTED BY PMR

[sookiesue]

Having just got over GCA, I now have PMR. I can't believe all this stiffness and pain. Has anyone else had buttock and groin pain? Or I wonder if this attributable to something else. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

[SheffieldJane]

Severe groin pain was one of my presenting symptoms with PMR. I was unable to step into a bath and my walk became a shuffling penguin walk. I haven’t been troubled by buttock pain since having sciatica 10 years ago Piriformis Syndrome is worth exploring, as a cause.

[Mary63]

Shoulder, arm, lower back and buttockpain were my presenting features. Groin and pelvic pain joined the party when I flared at a later date. Pred sorted all these pains out.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

If you have a look at Figure 1 in the attached link you can see areas affected by PMR -

academic.oup.com/rheumatolo...

[GerriMc in reply to DorsetLady]

Very interesting, thanks!

[jinasc]

SheffieldJane advised exploring Piriformis Syndrome.

I finally, after being told 'Sciatica' many times by NHS Physio's ect so I booked an appointment with a registered practioner of acupuncture - yes you guessed it Piriformis. 3 treatments I could walk without being in agony. Now I am totally pain free after 7 treatments with acupuncture and he also did 'cupping' of which I had never heard.

Definitely worth exploring.

[GCA1947 in reply to jinasc]

Dear jinasc

I am glad that you have had success with Acupuncture, I've been seeing my Acupuncturist since March 2018 and he has made impressive improvements to my continuing back pain.

Unfortunately I have many conditions causing pain and it is really just a case of treat each one in turn. The back pain started with a fractured spine bone in 2016 and spread from my neck to my lumbar region where it remains. Osteoarthritis affects both hands. He says inflammation is widespread in my body and treats a different area when the previous one eases off.

I'm a bit different G.C.A. sufferer as I have Life-time Klinefelters as well and two lots of Osteoporosis.1st one having been in remission for ten years then G.C.A. started and an over enthusiastic G.P. held steroids too high for too long and Osteop. came back. Still affecting me as I've just fractured my eighth rib.

But I am pleased to see that someone else has benefited from the needles.

Best wishes

Colin

[jinasc in reply to GCA1947]

Thank you and I do so hope you improve.

For the Osteoarthritis have you tried Flexiseq, a bio-mechanical gel developed by Arthritis Research and a German Pharmaceutical company. You can read up on it on their website.

I find it keeps my knees and hands pain free.

[GCA1947 in reply to jinasc]

Thank you jinasc

I'll try anything to see the back of some pain the hands are really unpleasant. I'll let you know how I get on

Regards

Colin

[Constance13 in reply to GCA1947]

Hi Colin - pleased to hear from you. Are you able to get out and about at all? Hope you are able to cope with this hot weather (well, not so hot this week thank goodness).

Have you a garden to potter around in? I miss a garden (not the work though)!😏 We haven't even got a balcony now. We have a beautiful view and can wander round the Spa gardens though. Sometimes I use my walker and sometimes David pushes me in my wheelchair (I push the chair myself half the way - we've just come back from an hour push/walk.😎 I can only manage 20 minutes if I go out alone.

Keep happy! Regards fr Constance.

[Marijo1951]

Severe pain and stiffness in the whole pelvic area was a major part of my untreated PMR. I'm now down to 7 mg pred per day and I'm starting to feel the groin pain again, though less severe than before.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Buttock pain is often due to piriformis syndrome and groin pain may be bursitis - and both are more common alongside PMR, the bursitis may be part of the PMR. I find a local steroid injection usually deals with the bursitis - and saves having to increase the oral dose as much. The piriformis syndrome I used to deal with with Bowen therapy but a good therapeutic massage therapist is also good now I can't access Bowen so easily.

[Daisyfield]

I had about 18months of Sciatica/ pirformes prior to classic sudden onset aching shoulders...I think the sciatica was part of PMR. My shoulders don't hurt anymore, but my now my legs get aches and pains.

[Sunny465 in reply to Daisyfield]

SAME all of the above in the first year. Post pred. re: achey legs in winter not moving as should. Mornings are best to get going straight away to make it better for the day. Plus a particular stretch on the mat to ease sacral issues ie periformis and referred pain of sciatica.

[Meggsy]

Initially pain in thighs, buttocks, groin , upper arms, shoulders (one frozen), and neck. Prednisolone took it all away. Thanks Pred! 🌻🌻

[Hidden]

Buttock pain .... piriformis. I used to stop doing the thing that really torqued it up as soon as possible. For example, standing still chopping veg was awful, so I started sitting to chop them. Going up inclines was like sheer torture so would have to stop and wait for it to ease. I think this effected my hip for a while just because it changed my gait. Heat and massage helped my buttock. It hurts but better after.

[Magster54]

Groin pain was my first PMR symptom, followed swiftly by buttock pain, which was the worst pain of all and the one that took the longest to go. Ive been on Pred since February and am now tapering down but thankfully i'm still pretty much pain free but permanently exhausted and having mood swings. I hope you find something that eases your pain

[GerriMc]

Before diagnosis, my buttocks were so sore I couldn’t sit for more than half an hour. I had shoulder, neck and back pain too. All under control now except I now have groin pain.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving! 🙄

[CSMM]

Yes that was my first symptoms down both butt cheeks and my groin sheer agony band round my hips thigh muscles my I couldn’t turn my head across nape of neck shoulders and two arms I couldn’t lift my arms . Shuffled like a penguin my 79 year old mum was walking twice as fast as me at 53 .

[Christophene]

Yes; buttock pain for sure; I picked up a pamphlet at my first rheumatologist's office that shows typical PMR pain points and the buttocks are in the diagram. Sheffield Jane answered the groin pain part of your question.

Groin pain could also be referred from the hips?? Just another thought.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Christophene]

Buttock pain is often related to piriformis muscle problems.