Spot pains.

[Gardenbay]

I recently managed to reduce to 5 mg, I then started to get more pain and upped to 7 mg, the pain did not ease so I upped to 8 mg .I informed my GP,she said keep on that and see how you get on, I am now finding that during the night I get very severe pain in left hip and groin, it wakes me up but when I sit up the pain eases, although when moving around during the day my groin aches and I walk with a kind of limp.

During the day mostly as the hip pain eases I get a severe muscle pain around the back and side at the bottom of the rib cage on the right side only, if I move awkwardly or turn suddenly the muscles appear to go into severe spasm and it catches my breath.

I am concerned that this is something different to pmr.

Should I go back to my GP or just take a higher dose.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Could be piriformis syndrome - but could be osteoarthritis in hip, so you do need to check with GP.

Do ordinary painkillers help, or cold/warmth treatment?

[Gardenbay in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you all for your advice, Paracetamol doesn’t seem to work, neither does my heat pad, I will try the cold treatment.Happy New year to everyone.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It sounds very much like greater trochanteric pain syndrome - the hip and groin pain sounds very like bursitis and the back pain the myofascial pain syndrome that can go with it - affecting the piriformis and lats muscles when it is left and not managed to prevent it worsening

nhsaaa.net/allied-health-pr...

physio-pedia.com/Greater_Tr...

If you google "greater trochanteric pain syndrome exercises pdf" you will get a load of links to the handouts provided by various NHS Trusts. This is one:

guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/reso...

One of the articles mentions shockwave therapy - which I have had recently here and I have to say, it does seem to have made a difference though some of the low back pain is still there if I am not careful.

However, as DL says, it would be a good idea to get your GP to rule out osteoarthritis - examination and an x-ray should do.

[Pawscat11 in reply to PMRpro]

These are really useful thank you

[piglette]

Have you had the groin pain at a slightly lesser extent over time or was this pain sudden? As it is just the one hip it does sound like something other than PMR.

[Gardenbay in reply to piglette]

The groin pain came on suddenly when the nighttime hip pain came on,I forgot to say when the hip pain is there it goes down the thigh to the knee then the bottom part of the leg feels as if it has cling film wrapped around it, but the leg is not dead.

[piglette in reply to Gardenbay]

If it is at the back of the leg it could be sciatica. If it is at the side it could be bursitis. If it originates in the front it could be osteo arthritis, a labral tear or possibly bursitis. Of course it could be various other things too. I have the cling film feeling which I understand is neuropathy. Push your GP about it.

[Pawscat11]

I have a similar pain and MRI showed Bursitis in both hips although more in one than the other. On reflection the pain burns more than the ache of PMR for me so I am learning to tell the difference. I am now having pyhsio for it as my Consultant does not want me to up the steroids any further or give me injections as sugars running high.

[HeronNS in reply to Pawscat11]

How are you doing now? Are things improving?

[Gardenbay in reply to HeronNS]

I managed to speak to GP she thinks I might have bursitis, I have an appointment for blood tests and physio this week and she prescribed Codeine Phosphate, I take 2 about ten pm the two at about 3 am it has not cured the pain, but has eased it. I am still having disturbed sleep.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Gardenbay]

Watch out for constipation with codeine. Prevention is better than cure!

[Gardenbay in reply to PMRpro]

Because of another problem, I take Normacol plus, just one fighting another. Still keep smiling.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Gardenbay]

That's fine then - just so many DON'T know and doctors so rarely say.