shoulder pain switched shoulders

[VueltaSkelta]

I’ve been getting very bad pain in my right arm shoulder over the last few weeks with much less pain on the left side. Today the pain has moved to the left shoulder arm. The right shoulder although not pain free has improved markedly over the last week and a half with a weeks trial of pred which I completed last week. I wondered if this was quite usual for PMR for the pain to move around so much ?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Wouldn’t say it ‘quite usual’ but PMR pain can initially be more on one side [maybe because of existing issues or a weak spot] before moving to both sides…

Slightly different scenario, my GCA started in both biceps, but then moved to shoulders with the worst always being the left- but I think that was partially due to osteoarthritis [probably already there but not causing issues previously]. Since GCA, I have had replacement surgery on that shoulder.

[VueltaSkelta in reply to DorsetLady]

My biceps were very sore a few weeks ago particularly the right one; it has moved around up to the shoulders. It’s something I’ll keep a close eye on.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I don't think it is "quite usual" but there are various reasons something like that might happen - not least resting the sore arm and overusing the less sore one! Has anything similar happened with other joints? Was the joint hot and swollen at all?

[VueltaSkelta in reply to PMRpro]

As you mention I have been resting the right arm / shoulder more as the pain was much worse and compensating with the other arm to a degree. Today I carried a heavy ish shopping bag for 50 metres. I suspect that could have brought on the pain in the bicep in the left arm. Coming to terms that carrying heavy bags is a thing of the past for the time being; although when I return to the pred maybe it will mask some of the pain (I’m sure you have to be careful with such an approach). Thanks for all the invaluable advice again.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to VueltaSkelta]

Yup - I can't carry shopping bags from the car to the lift without feeling it in the shoulder and biceps afterwards and that is barely 20m and not heavy by your standards. I have a small folding sack trolley from camping days and use that. I also often take some things out into smaller bags for the transfers and only put them all together in the big bag one by one when it is already on the trolley. That is DOMS, not the PMR, and pred doesn't do much for DOMS.

[VueltaSkelta in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks PMR pro, what does the DOMS stand for ?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to VueltaSkelta]

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - the muscle pain you develop after overdoing it with exercise or even a specific activity.

[VueltaSkelta in reply to PMRpro]

Ah that’s really good to know, the DOMS is really kicking in today in my left bicep I’ve taken a solpadine (paracetamol and codeine) this morning. I take it DOMS is one of the characteristics of PMR ?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to VueltaSkelta]

Only in that weakened muscles from any illness are more likely to develop DOMS.

When you exercise with the aim of developing the training effect what happens is that tiny tears develop in the muscle fibres that make up a large muscle as the result of being used more than usual. Then these tears heal over a short period and make the muscle stronger - a trained muscle. Because of the inflammation in PMR, it takes less to cause the tears in the first place and longer for them to heal. So the muscle pain that develops is more than you would expect compared with doing the same activity previously and instead of just taking a few hours or a day or two to resolve, it can take much much longer. That is why we say start doing things at a very low level that is less likely to cause the DOMS in the first place, always have a rest day after a day where you exercised, and never exercise if your muscles are still sore from the last lot of exercise you did. The gym-bunny's maxim of "no pain no gain" is absolute rubbish and "going for the burn" shouldn't be part of ANY personal trainer's vocabulary. What professional athletes do with their bodies is their business and they are likely to be storing up a life-time of pain and even disability.

[VueltaSkelta in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks, really suffering today with 8 out of 10 pain down my left arm from shoulder to forearm, finding it very difficult to move the arm at all without pain. I have decided to go on pred full time this morning after a successful trial last week. Are there any pain killers that work with DOMS (if this is what the pain is). I have tried solapdine this morning but not touching it.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to VueltaSkelta]

I have tried solapdine this morning but not touching it

If that’s the case, then it suggests it’s more likely to be PMR…..so yes, Pred required..like it or not..l

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to VueltaSkelta]

I think that what you have done is cause a flare of the PMR on top of the DOMS. The inflammation in muscles and ligament/tendon attachments won't respond to painkillers and the DOMS may not respond to the pred so you have a double whammy. The secret is to avoid creating the situation in the first place. You could try icing and heat alternating - work out what helps most for you.

cycli will tell you what happened to him when he was trying to continue with his usual activities despite PMR symptoms,

[Charlie1boy]

It certainly fluctuated with me between one shoulder and the other. Initially it was worse on the right, then over time the other way round. Even now, after over a year off pred, my left arm/ shoulder is worse than the right.

I guess it’s easy to over compensate, and that is why it can happen.

[VueltaSkelta in reply to Charlie1boy]

Thanks Charlie, the bicep forearm and elbow joint is very painful today. I think I need to go on the pred. My trial last week was very helpful.

[tangocharlie]

Sounds to me like you might possibly be developing bursitis in shoulders and hips. Only say that because I've just got GTB (Greater trochanteric bursitis) in one hip which I shrugged off as muscular. And years ago I had frozen shoulders, another form of capsulitis or bursitis. They seem to be linked in someway to PMR so worth getting an assessment from your GP. Only a possibility, it could of course be lots of different things, or just overdoing things.