Could this be PMR?

[Tinasleepyhead]

My friend is visiting me and has just told me the following story.

In November 2022 she started getting an aching pain in her right arm.  After a few weeks she went to her family Dr who prescribed codeine he said the pain was caused by small muscles in the  bottom right hand side of her neck, he said he would put a referral for her to see a physio. She took the codeine but soon gave up as it hardly helped.

In January 2023 the pain had travelled down her neck and arm, so she decided to try a private physio, instead of the possible long wait for the NHS. This physio diagnosed muscles in the back of her lower neck which were  causing the pain. He gave her some exercises to carry out at home. After repeating the exercises for several weeks there was no improvement in fact the pain was much worse.

Her symptoms now are pain in right arm, neck and her right shoulder is extremely painful. This is getting her down and restricting her daily life.

The times that it is at its very worse are when she is lying in bed, at that time it also affects her upper left arm if she lies on it, but only slightly.

Any thoughts would be helpful

🙏 please.

[Nextoneplease]

Hi Tinasleepyhead 😊

Well of course it could be the beginnings of PMR. This does tend to be bilateral though so it wouldn’t be the first thing I’d think of. Depends really how or whether it develops over time.

I have shoulder arthritis and I have to say the symptoms sound similar. Exercises make the pain worse too. Maybe your friend should go back to the GP, explain what’s happening and ask for an x ray?

All the best to her x

[Tinasleepyhead in reply to Nextoneplease]

Thank you so much I’ll pass your message on 😀

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

As suggested an x-ray would be a good start, and maybe a blood test to see if inflammation is elevated.. not that proves PMR, but it's a option.

[Tinasleepyhead]

thank you so much will pass it on 🙏

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Early PMR possibly - myofascial pain syndrome causing tight muscles and the shoulder pain perhaps.

Does she have any other signs of PMR?

[Tinasleepyhead in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you, she doesn’t have any other symptoms of PMR. I’ve been talking to her and she is going to try and see if she can get an appointment with her family Dr in the hope of xray/blood tests. 🙏

[Pris80 in reply to Tinasleepyhead]

It sounds very much like frozen shoulder to me. I have had this in my right shoulder for about 3 years as well as PMR for 8, and there is a difference. If she starts getting 'zingers' I.e. shooting pains from shoulder to wrist, that would suggest frozen shoulder.

[Tinasleepyhead in reply to Pris80]

Thank you for your message I’ll pass it on to my friend 🙏

[shana64]

This sounds almost exactly like the kind of pain I had many years ago - so bad I went to a variety of doctors, hoping someone could figure out the cause. The pain was simply indescribable. To make a very long story short, it was not my shoulder at all -- it was a badly herniated disk in my cervical spine, impinging on nerves that affected my shoulder. When one of the many doctors I had seen at that point finally prescribed a steroid taper, that worked to reduce the inflammation and interrupt the pain cycle. Then a long period (months) of rest and very careful activity allowed it all to heal.

[Tinasleepyhead]

Thank you for your message I’m passing it on to her with the other ones, I’ll update as and when she gets a diagnosis, 🙏

[MiniSpec]

Does your friend use a computer for long periods each day? I used to be a computer programmer, and I found that I got pain as you've described it in one shoulder. With me it was my left shoulder, but I'm left-handed and use the mouse with my left hand.

I found a way of supporting my left arm at the elbow, and this has more or less overcome the problem, but for others I know who are right-handed and used the mouse with their right hand, they ended up switching hands, so that they used the mouse with their left hand in order to overcome the pain.

As shana64 has posted above, it could be a spinal problem, in which case I would advise your friend to see a good chiropractor. My wife and I both used to see one regularly, and he was able to relieve us both of various spinal problems.

[Tinasleepyhead]

Thank you for your response, my friend doesn’t use a computer for long spells but have sent your message on to her as very bit of information is helpful. 👍🏻

[Tinasleepyhead]

My friend saw a consultant and was diagnosed with a trapped nerve in her neck which he is organising treatment for eg physio, possible cortisone injection, thank you so much for all the helpful comments,