Tight leg muscles, is this a new stage of my PMR?

[artfingers]

So now a lovely new symptom has just started in the last few weeks on my adventure with PMR. I feel as if all my muscles are tightening up but especially my legs so when I walk I feel like a marionette - it gives me an odd, halting gait. Since I still "shuffle jog", bike ride and hike up mountains, it is putting a serious crimp into those activities, even with stretching beforehand to attempt to get more flexibility. When running my two mile run, it hurts quite a bit in the calves. In addition I'm growing less flexible and my legs are swelling so less bendable. What is going on? Of course this new symptom of something or other happened AFTER I saw my rheumatologist who now I won't see till Sept. I'm still on 5 mg Prednisone (split 3 mg in a.m. and 2 mg in pm roughly) and no major increase in my blood stats. I am seeing my orthopedic surgeon next week so I will for sure ask him about all this. Is it a new stage of PMR?

[YuliK]

Try and phone your rheumatologist just to ask her opinion. Maybe you are over doing too much exercise.

[Constance13]

Far too much exercise with PMR. Taper down if you can. Most of us would be delighted if we could do ONE of those things.😉

[Kendrew]

Hi artfingers. Firstly I notice that you were diagnosed in 2015 and said you were "Hoping to maintain my active lifestyle and go into remission" I think possibly anyone ever diagnosed has had the same aim after diagnosis..... I know I certainly did. I'd been fit, healthy and very active, and this wasn't going to slow me down! Unfortunately for me, I was extremely naive and a little too dismissive of what the consequences would be if I continued with the same exercise regimes!

It seems a fair assumption that your issues stem from overdoing the physical activity. You engage in 3 very physically demanding activities and I think you've been very lucky to not have experienced worse consequences sooner. PMR affects our muscles and joints and means that when we exercise, they become damaged much more readily and also take much longer than normal to repair. This together with the likelihood you're now on too low a dose of steroid to mop up the inflammation is probably what's contributing to your current problems.

Pacing yourself is vital......our condition is continually changing with different and new symptoms and side effects popping up all the time. What's possible one day, isn't necessarily the next and we should be continually 'adjusting' and 'adapting' to meet these changing needs.

Definitely discuss this with a medical professional, but as I say.....usually when we experience what you currently have described, it's because we're doing more than our body can cope with.

'More haste, less speed' perhaps?

I'm sure others will be along to advise so I wish you well and hope you manage to find the 'balance' that works for you.

[Coffeebeans]

I don't know the answer but I would be inclined to visit a good sports massage therapist for a review and a loosening up.

We all know exercise is good therefore if that helps you stay active it would be worth it.

[SnazzyD]

When I popped out at the lower end of the dose range I found I had tendon problems in the pelvis, arms, neck, shoulders and particularly the Achilles which impacted on my calves. I was very fit and active before diagnosis with GCA but was unable to continue due to the high dose side effects. I continued with walking daily in boots come hell or high water throughout and I think that that was unwise. Took nearly 2 years of treatment to stop walking like I was on ice. I do wonder if your activity level has been a bit excessive considering you have a vasculitis affecting the muscles which doesn’t stop cooking just because the Pred takes away the pain, at least in the early years. I also wonder if there is something going on in the muscles with GCA that is asymptomatic.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

What sort of "hurts in the calves"?

though to be honest - I think it is time you accepted modifying your activity a bit. With or without PMR and pred. We age. And with aging comes other factors.

[artfingers in reply to PMRpro]

It hurts like it would if you tried to run without stretching - super tight. It is that way whether I walk, don't walk, "shuffle-jog" as I do now super slow or not. I'll ask the doctor when I see him Tuesday for input. It is a new stiffness to what I've ever felt before. Thanks for the input everyone.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to artfingers]

Can't imagine that - running, what's running? No, I wondered it if was cramp in the calves starting after a short distance that then goes away when you stop.

[artfingers in reply to PMRpro]

Like a long, continuous pain and tightness for hours at a time but yes in the calves. When I jog, it keeps up until like the last 10 minutes. I upped my pred 1 mg this morning and see if that helps. Oddly mostly calves and back leg tendons not so much other muscles. I do usually mix up what I do (do an easy kayak once a week, walk another day, etc. and that has worked fine till now.) Didn't do anything yesterday much. I haven't seen my massage therapist in a month so I shall also try that. Magnesium usually helps but not this tightness/pain. Also have a call in to my rheumatologist. Thank you!

[123mossie]

Hi artfingers, I'm impressed at your efforts to keep fit! I'm finding that my leg muscles below the knee are tight & stiff when I flex them. Thighs minimal, & normal in all other muscles. I put this down to cycling (ebike) but I've never had proper sore muscles however much I've done. Pre pmr I used to get painful muscles if I'd overdone it.I'm on 3/3.5 taper just now. As I'm not impacted really I haven't done anything other than pace myself & avoid poking the pmr dragon. Hope things settle for you, maybe if you cut back/slowed down a bit?

[artfingers in reply to 123mossie]

Thanks for your reply. Oddly, I upped my pred for one day, still shuffle-jogged slowly 2 miles, also took a magnesium and stretched carefully. Today the tightness and pain is much better. I think I HAD poked the PMR dragon and overdid myself. I'm going to stay up just .5 mg for a few days, see how that does and keep on the magnesium. I'm grateful for all the advice here!