I tweaked a muscle some weeks back and it seems to be taking ages to repair. So, as wondered if either PMR or pred could be slowing the healing, I looked on line and came across an article that I found really sensible - follows so much of the guidance offered on this forum. bpac.org.nz/bpj/2013 Polymyalgia rheumaticIt also mentioned that PMR can cause mild anaemia which I think I've had from time to time and certainly responded to a dose of an iron tablet.
I didn't find the answer to my spasmy, very frustrating back 😤
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Smithie49
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Where’s the tweak, how did you do it and when? What makes it better or worse? Have you seen anyone about it? Yes, we are more prone to injury but it doesn’t mean we have to accept pain as a fact of life if an injury occurs, healing is still possible! 🙂
Thanks for your reply Snazzy. I was an idiot and lifted the lid of an ottoman - only a tiny bit!!!! - on which there was a very heavy suitcase. This was fairy early June. The muscle is under the ribs on the LHS and keeps threatening to go into spasm. My yoga teacher had given me some great stretches which help and it is improving but oh soooo slowly and I've things to do 😔 😟 🙁
Did you feel a pop or anything? when you say under the ribs, do you mean below the rib cage or literally under the ribs and if so how high up the chest?
No pop, I thought I'd got away with it until the following day when it grabbed me. It's actually on the RHS - my error (brain fog?!!!). Its under the ribs and nearer the side than under my shoulder blade. If I sit skewed or put pressure on it I have to be very careful when straightening. As I say, it is improving but I find it hard not to do the things I want to like rather extensive work in our churchyard where I'm creating large areas of flowers and playing tennis!
I woke up one morning about a month ago with a spasmed muscle on one side of my neck (probably a bad sleeping position). It has taken a long, long time ... the pain only started to ease 3 to 4 weeks later and still comes and goes, mostly in the mornings. I was pretty sure it wasn't PMR because it was only on the left and responded to Paracetamol. I did gentle stretches too. I hope that time, patience and easy stretches will do the trick for you. Good luck!
Not wanting to sound unduly depressing but it sounds like what I developed in March 2022 which necessitated a 112/999 call and a visit to the ED which achieved nothing but luckily was just before a scheduled rheumy appointment where he sorted it out. I arrived on a trolley and was able to walk out, just! Depressing because it is only recently I would say it is sorted despite a lot of physio and other treatments.
It stems from myofascial pain syndrome which can be a part of PMR. the inflammatory substances are present in the fascia of the muscles as well as knots of inflamed muscle fibres in the large muslces. They irritate the rest of the muscle and sometimes nearby nerves, If you do something that overstretches the muscle it responds by going into spasm to protect itself from further abuse.
I have got a lot of relief from 800mg of ibuprofen as a flooding dose and sitting in a supportive chair packed with cushions with a hot water bottle over the painful bit. My rheumy does something called neural therapy - subcutaneous injections of lignocaine all over the back together with daily infusions of a high dose NSAID, It works - at the expense of some truly outstanding bruises! I doubt anyone in the UK offers it in the same way. There are physio practices that do plain neural therapy.
That sounds like an excellent rheumatologist to treat you like that.Out of interest, what do you take to protect your stomach when you are on the high doses of ibuprofen?
I am having to take NSAIDs (started on ibuprofen and now naproxen) for what seems to be an inflamed /strained back muscle. The GP has given me omeprazole, but I've been worried about taking it as in the past I've not felt good on it, and tend towards a low stomach acid anyway.
After a week of Ibuprofen and a couple of days naproxen, my stomach is burning. Just started some liquid antacids today, but no relief from the stomach burning yet.
I used famotidine which I had to pay for - I was prescribed a PPI. If omeprazole is a problem (it often is) then try a different PPI or get an H2-antagonist, All available OTC so you can try out what works for you, They will take a few days of consistent use to really work well. Gaviscon is recommended.
I wouldn't feel too bad about moaning. The analgesic effects of a good old bitch about something that annoys you is well documented, especially when accompanied by profanity.
I tend to be overactive so occasionally I get slightly pulled muscles. I've also started swimming again after a year's lay off which has resulted in slightly painful shoulders, tops of arms and around the chest. I actually find that prednisolone helps me heal, maybe because it tackles the inflammation caused by a pulled muscle. That's just my experience though....
I tweaked a muscle in my arm over the winter when we had a really hard frost and I was scraping my car windows. It was very painful for several days before it subsided. I would say it has only now completely healed. Since the winter every time I tried to do something like carrying a shopping bag with my left arm I could feel it warning me to stop otherwise it was going to be severe again. So yes, for me I think things take longer to completely heal. I am on a very low dose now and was on about 3mg when I did it.
This kind of thing happened to me all the time before I was put on the pred. I was undiagnosed for such a long time, and instinctively, I got very used to constantly watching my posture, how I sat, how I slept and how I placed my legs and feet at rest. At that point in time, I was still in the mindset that it was all my fault and something that I was doing that was causing it. I know different now.
I've had debilitating muscle spasms in my back and front torso since beginning of May. Now in bed for 10 days. Just as they seem to improve with mild exercise and use, something happens and I'm back to square one. ER has taken no steps to find out problems. Tonight I have a ct scan which will finally update the one I had May 3, which is their comparison base. Rheumatologist still pushing me to reduce Pred. Is it PMR? Never had such spasms in my life up my back and front. Daughter says I must get them moving. Easier said than done. Barely walking with a walker can't sit more than 5 mins. Then excrutiating muscle pain..saw rheumy last week..She takes notes; no feedback. Asked her for MRI, got another ct scan. Put me on Pregabalin but so far has not kicked in. Even first PMR symptoms didn't lay me out like this. Hope yours is "just" PMR. All the best.
PS: This is the first night the pain has kept me awake.
That sounds very nasty. Years ago when the muscle under my left shoulder blade went into spasm I was given Robaxin which was brilliant. It really relaxed everything and made me a bit sleepy. When they changed that for diclifenac sodium (Voltarol I think) I had all sorts of problems and I think that triggered oral lichen planus. Good luck with your.
I have a similar query, about a pain that started 3 or 4 weeks ago in left hip/buttock area, it is not near the surface so cannot massage it.
The strange thing is that I only feel it when laying down and turning over in bed, I never feel it when on my feet walking, going up stairs or mowing the lawns, I have deliberatley moved my leg in all directions whilst standing up and no sign of pain so I am fairly confident it is not in the joint.
It is not getting any worse yet, but it is also not going away.
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