Fell today. Flare or injury?

[Merryfield]

Tripped on little area rug and fell today. Landed on LEFT ribcage and upper back hip but 400 mgs Ibuprofen took care of pain. Also may have hurt RIGHT shoulder and upper arm which had already been symptomatic (and I raised medrol dose 5 mgs—didn’t help but doc doesn’t want me to add more.) It hurts to move it certain ways more than before and Ibus didn’t help. Wondering if folks think falling aggravated the PMR or if I injured it. Thanks in advance

[SnazzyD]

After seeing many people over the years after a fall like that I’d expect anyone to feel pretty sore in all sorts of places, even those not directly hit, for a week or two or even more. Expect other bits and pieces to join in the concert too. At this very early stage I wouldn’t be pointing my finger at PMR automatically.

[Merryfield in reply to SnazzyD]

Sorry I wasn’t clear. I do have PMR —diagnosed in November — and am on 24 mgs medrol. After today’s fall with attendant soreness, the only body part not helped by Ibuprofen was my shoulder. It had already been flaring, but after today, hurt more.

[SnazzyD in reply to Merryfield]

Yes, you will do, a fair bit. The PMR flare muddies the water but if it were me, I’d try decent levels of pain killers for a week first before attributing sudden new pain to PMR this early. Also, I wouldn’t necessarily expect pain killers to eradicate all pain from the fall especially if you’ve really tweaked something. Inflammatory response to trauma usually reaches a peak around 48-72 hours and can hang about for a couple of weeks. The shoulder muscles can really take a hammering when they take the weight of the head as you try instinctively not to bash it by holding it up. Can you move your shoulder?

[Merryfield in reply to SnazzyD]

Greetings. I can move shoulder. Less painful than yesterday. Bicep hurts a bit.

[Merryfield in reply to SnazzyD]

Thanks, Snazzy, will start with a second round of Ibuprofen today.

[Estellemac]

I think that if painkillers help the soreness its not PMR?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Possibly both - a fall can be very painful for a few days and painful for longer. A flare in PMR can also result from a flare. If the shoulder pain was only on one side, it is less likely to be PMR but everything is possible. However, if it gets worse over time, suspect that PMR has a role, if it improves slowly it is likely to be injury.

[Merryfield in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks, Pro. Will see how next few days go with shoulder and bicep

[SheffieldJane]

Falls are a key trigger for PMR flares. It is a pity your doctor is being so strict about a sick day rules increase of Pred, after all you come straight back down after a week to 10 days. I would be tempted to try 10 mgs. If that didn’t help I would want further investigation, an X Ray perhaps. If you have fractured your ribs, then the only cure is to rest, rest, rest. Get well soon and stick that rug down or dispense with it!

[Merryfield in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thanks, Sheff.