Hand issues - PMR related or not?

[Raven1955]

I was in to see my #3 rheumy recently. The only 2 issues I had for discussion were extreme fatigue and inflammation of the hands. mainly the right middle finger. Not too bad after 3.5 years of dealing with PMR. We talked about it and I agreed to increase the pred dose from 3 to 7.5mg. I've been on the increased dose for a week now and the fatigue does seem some better although not totally as I'm still working full weeks. Working full weeks has started to affect me more lately - not sure what that's about. The increased dose hasn't helped the hands so far. Now the swelling is mainly the middle finger of both hands with minor swelling of the other fingers and can barely clinch the right one into a fist. Starting to think that maybe it's good old fashioned arthritis popping up at poor time. Anyone else had similar hand issues?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Only pre-pred, once I was on pred it improved and has never returned unless I'm flaring

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

If it is hand Arthritis these exercises might help. -

creakyjoints.org/living-wit...

Might also be worth trying a topical cream/lotion.

Do you Arthritis anywhere else? Work related RSI?

[Raven1955 in reply to DorsetLady]

That's the thing that makes me wonder - I don't have arthritis anywhere else, which makes me more inclined to think it's tied to the PMR. I might give the pred a boost up to 10 mg over the weekend and see if it responds. Can always drop right back down to the lower dose on Monday.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Raven1955]

Or is it maybe not "just" PMR but with a component of inflammatory arthritis? Certain arthropathies tend to create sausage fingers ...

[Raven1955 in reply to PMRpro]

Accurately descriptive - four normal fingers and one ugly sausage!

[Griggser]

Last December my index finger on my right hand became extremely painful and I had to put a splint on to try and stop me moving it. Just touching anything was enough to make me take a sharp intake of breath. I’ve been tested for arthritis and no sign of it but my fingers get painful which comes and goes.

[Dambusters]

I am still on 11mg , tapering slowly. I have problems with my hands but I'm told it is arthritis.

I do a lot of knitting, sewing and typing. I have been told to keep fingers moving but put them through less stress. I have arthritis in the spine from a fracture. PMR is under control.

[Bloomsbury123]

My right hand became stiff and sore during a flare when I got down to 1mg. I increased the dose to 5mg and the pain subsided mostly. I have got down to 1mg again now but the hand pain is back, swollen and painful index finger, stiff and sore in general so I’m thinking it must be PMR?

[Utgorn]

Since going down from 10mg to 8.5 and back up to 9.5 I've developed pain in the wrists and base of the thumbs. My previous upper arm and thigh symptoms have mostly gone unless I walk too far. It's all worse in the morning before the pred works, so I assume it's pmr.

[Purple-Owl in reply to Utgorn]

I too have painful wrists. I started at 20mg for polymyalgia nearly three years ago and am currently trying to reduce from 5mg. Three or four times I have tried to creep down to 4.5mg, but every time the familiar diffused pain on moving neck, shoulder and hips returns, though very much milder than at first, when I couldn't even turn over in bed. The one thing that remains strong, even when with a resigned sigh I go back to 5mg, is a burning pain that shoots up the base of my thumbs whenever I grip something. This started a few months ago. Has anybody else experienced this?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Purple-Owl]

Wrist pain is one of the unfailing heralds of a flare. The pain I get is sharp too when I grip something but it is across the wrist rather than up to the thumb.

[Purple-Owl in reply to PMRpro]

I remember your saying this elsewhere PMRpro. Very interesting. At least I'm relieved to hear that this wrist pain is nothing unusual with pmr. I'm hoping it will go eventually, as my swollen ankles did.