Hi. I have PMR 2.3 years and on 1 mg prednisone which I manage with some paracetamol and Oil tablets.
My neck has been very sore for quite some time and an X-ray shows moderate / severe arthritis. Never had neck pain before and I wonder whether there is evidence that PMR can lead to osteo arthritis.
It would help me to know either or, that if somebody knows. No history of accidents with neck. I am 67 years. Thanks.
I have neck pain and the back of my skull pain. My XRays have shown moderate Cervical Spondylosis. I notice it when I have had too much screen time or have been reading a lot, even a night in a strange bed. Fortunately it is not with me all the time but I do get pro,longed phases of it. Painkillers can be helpful and supporting your head with a pillow. My Osteoarthritis pre- dates my PMR by some years. I think that it has worsened during my 3 years of PMR probably due to age and a more sedentary lifestyle. I have had oa pains emerge in my knees and ankles and the base of my spine too, since being on the lower doses of Pred. I think they were masked by Pred. I don’t think that there is a direct causal link with PMR. The wear and tear just hits the same demographic.
Thank you. Good to hear from others. I can t find evidence the two are related in the medical literature. OA and PMR.
I can’t see what the link would be because the disease processes are different.
Indeed, thanks.
I had OA long before GCA, during and after! Although not in neck.
GCA didn’t make it any worse, however on higher doses of Pred it did mask the pain of it, which may have happened with you. That of course very often means your OA is deteriorating without you realising the fact.
Sounds as what I expected, thanks
My neck pain with PMR has always been due to spasmed muscles - but not directly due to the PMR.
PMR and OA are often confused with one another at the diagnosis stage but PMR is a vasculitis - OA is primarily a disease of "wear and tear". OA can be worsened by inactivity and so if there is already an unidentified OA present, the lowered level of activity that is pretty much inevitable might play a role. For some time the symptoms may be masked by the pred - only to appear as the dose is reduced.
Makes sense, thanks
Degeneration of discs etc ...predates pred but 15mg to 10mg helped it. Now it has returned.
Yes, I understand, we just have to take another medication, or not, to manage this condition. Never mind, we are still alive. Thanks for reply.
Hi I get neck pain from this laptop I use and reading. Head is bent down and forward and is the weight of a BOWLING ball on our tiny necks. If you reach behind with your fingers to your neck and go up a tiny bit on either side of head right where it meets neck and rotate around with your fingers pretty hard you will feel a couple usually painful spots. MASSAGE them and headaches and pain will be better!! but it hurts a bit to do it. I don't recommend chiropractors cracking necks at our age..but a good massage therapist.. or your own two hands can help a lot! this is a nice video. skip the ads! The guy shows you where to do it. youtube.com/watch?v=WEZHuC7...
Thank u, u r very kind.
My orthopaedic surgeon said that the cartilidge in my hip had been eaten away because of pred causing osteo arthritis so I needed a new hip. I am not sure if was right or not though!
journalofprolotherapy.com/t...
Injections do - enjoy the read. But although the use of oral steroids may contribute - they comment on how the use of steroid injections allows the patient to return to their normal activities and that makes the joint deteriorate faster than it would if they hadn't had any form of pain relief because it also happened with NSAIDs.
I suppose they have started to limit steroid injections nowadays for that reason. In the good old days you could have them will nilly. Borg won Wimbledon when bunged up with steroid injections.
I suspect a lot of athletes of all sorts do much the same ...
I was diagnosed with OA at age 40, although I'm certain I had some form of it long before especially in my feet and neck. It was always very well controlled (physio exercises and use of glucosamine and I also found Vitamin B6 helpful, no idea why). When I was in my mid 60s increasing pain led me to believe the OA was getting worse, and apparently my doctor did too as she merely prescribed scary painkillers which I didn't dare take. In the end, of course, it turned out to be PMR. Pred got rid of all my aches and pains, including OA, but these gradually returned as the dose lowered. I do not believe my OA is any worse than it would have been had I never taken pred, but I do now have the additional problem of weaker muscles and I think that is due to pred, which doesn't help as it's harder to maintain the exercise regime!
PMR and severe neck spasms
Is it PMR?
Not PMR 
PMR or Arthritis 
Pain in Neck
