OK I’ve been stupid - again. My partner is wheelchair bound: whilst on holiday (after three years) I pushed her up a steep hill to see some special wild flowers. I shouldn’t have done it.
I now have severe catching pain / spasms (like a pinched nerve) between my shoulder blades which I feel must be some sort of injury which will disappear in time if I am careful and take paracetamol (which does help a little). Of course, I could be wrong!
My questions: does PMR make this sort of pain worse? Or does the injury stimulate PMR pain? Is there a connection of some sort? I don’t want to increase Pred as I have recently gone up to 6.5 from 4.5 due to what I think was a flare.
Thank you.
Written by
ChinaWuntoo
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I find that something like that will awaken the back muscle problems I have due to myofascial pain syndrome - our back muscles are in a delicate balance to keep us upright and mobile and it is all too easy to upset that balance by carrying something heavy or other similar activities. Come to that - sleeping on an unfamiliar bed will do something similar.
Have you tried heat on the area? That, together with 800mg ibuprofen, works better for me than anything else.
Certainly pushing a wheelchair up a steep slope is a different position for the back! I'm careful around where I live because I obviously know the area. But on holiday, especially as my OH reacts well to stimulation of past memories, I wanted to do the best for her. If you are interested, the special flower (not special in Malta) is a Gladiolus which only grows in one area in the UK, the area where we have spent many happy days camping and, on two occasions found the flower after a lot of searching.
I digress: I hadn't thought of heat treatment and that seems a good idea. Ibuprofen I had cast from my mind because I thought it is not sensible to have it alongside Pred - am I wrong?
The odd dose is usually OK and recently my rheumy told me to use it as an 800mg single dose daily for 2 weeks but I MUST use a PPI or famotidine at the same time. If he's happy - so am I. I'm on anticoagulant therapy - and he still thinks it is fine.
That was about the lot - it was cold and windy. However, we went as a family of four to rest and relax so it was ok. (And to look for the dragon of Malta, but that's another fantasy story for our great granddaughter.)
Do what you can to relax the muscles, which may be in spasm, and keep warm. One of the triggers for a major flare I suffered last year (so nice to be able to say last year ) was attending an outdoor singing session and it turned out to be a cold and windy day and I got throughly chilled and was in pain afterwards, the following day, etc., just from getting so cold, never mind what you did with an unaccustomed type of exercise which was not part of my day. Hopefully the extra painkiller will do the trick and you'll feel much better tomorrow.
Hi ChinawlWuntoo, I am in exactly the same situation at the moment. I did some weeding on Sunday, by Tuesday I had awful painful spasms between my shoulders and thoracic area, been so bad I struggled to get up out of bed and a chair. I locked completely with the pain. GP said paracetamol and see Physiotherapy which zi did yesterday, how I drove there I will never know.My physio explained that the muscles go into spasm to protect the spine and the tension makes it worse. Had acupuncture and much better today but still cautious and waiting for it to start again. Not sure if linked to PMR but I have had this before. On 4mg at the moment
Thnaks to all for responses. Keeping my back warm and ibuprofen help a little. I have concluded that, in lay terms, I have a pulled muscle or pinched nerve and that I just have to wait until it rights itself. Meanwhile I will stay on 6.5 Pred for an extra week or two.
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) was attending an outdoor singing session and it turned out to be a cold and windy day and I got throughly chilled and was in pain afterwards, the following day, etc., just from getting so cold, never mind what you did with an unaccustomed type of exercise which was not part of my day. Hopefully the extra painkiller will do the trick and you'll feel much better tomorrow. 
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