Rotator cuff pain

[Lochy]

I had aching shoulders in the early days - 5 years ago now - but this is different. I can raise my arms above my head, do some gardening, do my Pilates and even dress myself!! Both shoulders are sore on the edges (if that makes sense) and particularly bad when I lie on my side and turn over in bed. Left is worse than right. I feel this is a problem with tendons or tears but does anyone else have experience of this? I continue to struggle to differentiate between PMR pains and problems of ageing, overdoing it or from prednisolone! Quite a lot to choose from.

[Arflane97G]

Yes, I do! Right shoulder very achy but some movements ok, definitely does not feel like pmr. first physio I saw said strained rotator cuff, second physio said not, third said maybe… discussed with my rheumatologist and she said could be rotator cuff strain, could be residual inflammation from pmr or just an age thing. Currently waiting for guided steroid injection, best wishes

[Bcol in reply to Arflane97G]

Good to see they all gave you a consensus way forward!!!!!!!!!!

[Lochy in reply to Arflane97G]

Oh dear it’s as clear as mud as ever! Reconfirms my belief that nobody really knows what’s going on. I’m interested to know if I have overdone things and my tendons are warning me or have I reduced too far. Mind you I’ve had shoulder niggles for sometime and if I listened to all my niggles I’d never reduce. Interestingly I played golf for first time in 6 months last week and shoulders didn’t hurt it’s always in bed or if I push and prod it 😬

[LBM1953]

Hi Lochy. I too have shoulder issues. At 25 mg pred my symptoms a lot better except for shoulders and left hand/ thumb, which are a lot better than they were but still a niggle. Doc increased pred to 30 mg four days ago but no discirnible improvement. I have also now noticed that as I exercise more the left knee aches a bit and I have a theory/question. I have had two meniscus operations on my left knee. The knee has never stopped me doing anything but would obviously be in a weaker state than the right. Would PMR "attack" those parts of your body which are already susceptible? Whilst my shoulders have never caused a major problem, I do know that I cannot sleep with arms above my head as I used to do because they ache, so I may have had a long term shoulder isdue as well. LBM1953

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to LBM1953]

We have often said that PMR tends to "go for" any existing weak spots ...

The inability to sleep with my arms above my head was the first sign I had of PMR starting - and I take it as a sign the inflammation is not under good control.

[Lochy in reply to PMRpro]

That makes my body one big “weak spot” 😬

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Lochy]

This can be true

[Rugger]

My PMR flared as bursitis in both shoulders and hips. I wonder if that's the case with you? I remember not being able to lie on my side because of the hips. A doctor would be best to diagnose - if you are allowed face-to-face appointments?

All the best.

[Lochy in reply to Rugger]

So hard to know as I have only been able to reduce so slowly and have never been pain free - apart from the first few heady days in the beginning!My bloods a month ago were the best they’d been for many months with inflammatory markers virtually normal which is a first for me. Never quite worked out a pattern with symptoms but I’m always hopeful low markers might mean a good patch hence my theories that my shoulder aches are wear and tear or weakened tendons from steroid use but who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️

[LBM1953]

Hi PMRpro. My arms above my shoulder sleeping issue is one that goes back years, long before PMR! As someone who has played competitive sport for most of my (aging) life I probably have lots of weak spots! 😃😩

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to LBM1953]

Mine crept up a year or so before PMR symptoms became more obvious. Not that the GP wanted to know ...

[arvine]

I have had shoulder pain issues few times thru my over 4 1/2 year journey with PMR, and had ultrasounds done, apparently, diagnoses was, calcification of the joint, so calcification tendonitis, which was described to me , as "grains of sand" getting into tendons and causing pain, over time it has dissapated, but painful , shoulder always been the worst, and can relate re, as side sleeper, very painful from time to time, just going through another attack of that last few weeks, seems to be subsiding a little, but I have also stopped taking calcium for time being , seeing my dr tomorrow, re bone density results

[Lochy in reply to arvine]

How do they know it’s calcification tendonitis? When I read up about these diagnosis I do wonder how they distinguish. I’ve seen a physio over the years but never had anymore investigation than that. Interestingly I haven’t noticed my shoulders aching much more as I reduce. I think I’ll stay at my current dose for the moment and see what happens. Did you stop reducing too while it settled? I reduce so slowly it’s frustrating. 7mg is the lowest I’ve got to without too many aches!

I’m speaking to the rheumatology nurses next week so will ask them if I can get ultrasound on my shoulders. Sadly I doubt they will agree but you never know.

[arvine in reply to Lochy]

well that,s what I was told by my dr, shows up in ultrasound,