A new kind of pain - update

[ladygigger]

I posted a few weeks ago about a new kind of pain, which went from groin to the top of my thigh and also from top of buttock downwards, but not to the knee so I knew it wasn't sciatica.

It did ease for a bit and I managed to shoot a two day music festival - the organisers were fantastic, and provided me and my partner with high stools and a high table not far from the stage at the side of the room. The venue was only 2 hours away and pre-PMR I would have driven up and come home each day but knew that I wouldn't manage that now so booked an apartment for 3 nights.

I even managed to get up a reasonable speed walking around the festival, with stick of course, and the drive home didn't cause pain either.

It was the next gig that brought things to a point where I had to go and see the doctor: I shot another gig and the stool provided was very uncomfortable. I could hardly walk back to the car when I'd finished, and the following morning was awful. I actually had an acupuncture appointment booked that day, and it did help enormously - until I went out for a walk around midnight to catch the aurora and the cold seemed to bring it all back.

So, doctor's visit. I knew I had osteoarthritis in that hip and it clonks when I exercise but I'd never had a great deal of pain in it until now. He says it's referred pain from an osteoarthritic flare and I'm back on the tramadol.

I can't exercise (or walk very far) at the moment, so we'll see how it goes. Not keen on tramadol, but co-codamol wasn't helping.

And Pixix was right - nothing to do with PMR.. I'd already worked that out and dropped my dose back down to 6mg.

[piglette]

I had similar pain a while back. In my case it did get worse sadly and I had a new hip which solved it. In your case it may be something totally different of course.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

As it seems to be osteoarthritis is a replacement on the cards -or is that not feasible for you? If it’s not, then unfortunately it’s likely to deteriorate…

Sure you’ve thought about taking your own seating -or is that too much hassle?

[ladygigger in reply to DorsetLady]

I have to say I've been lucky - although osteoarthritis was spotted some years ago it's never caused me much problem until now. The doc muttered about x-rays (I haven't had any since about 2010, same time as the last Dexa and after I crushed 2 vertebrae in 2008 - yes, it did take that long to persuade someone that I needed an xray) but didn't proceed at this time. The rheumatologist was muttering about dexa, but think he wants to wait until I'm off pred (currently stuck at 6mg). A replacement wasn't mentioned because the last x-ray only showed mild deterioration.

And yes, research into suitable seating is ongoing!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to ladygigger]

Okay -thought OA was worse than that.

Why is Rheumy prevaricating on DEXA - steroids could be doing damage now.

Hope you can find suitable seating… 😊

[Pixix]

sorry, it’s no fun…osteoarthritis. Mine has worsened to the point of wearing splints 24/7 on my hands. Although I do have OA in my hips, the deterioration isn’t bad enough to need a new joint. But my current hip pain, which I would give 10/10 quite a lot of the time is caused by trochanteric bursitis. I know I will need a steroid injection to help soon, but we aren’t even in winter yet! If your OA isn’t shown to be bad on the x-rays…mild deterioration, you may want to revisit your doctor to see if it could be something else (eg bursitis or sciatica). I take Tramadol for other reasons, but it’s not he,ping my current pain…neither is bruphrenorphine patches! Perhaps you need to take your own stool to sit on? Just a thought.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Pixix]

What's winter got to do with it? My bursitis can be awful in summer since I tend to walk more then.

[Pixix in reply to PMRpro]

Well, I guess it shows we are all different, maybe? My bursitis & arthritis both got worse when the temperatures here dipped about 12 degrees and stayed there. As you know, we walk much the same amount year round, even in dreadful weather, as we look after next door friend’s dog. I did not intend to mean that everybody’s OA & bursitis will get worse in winter. For the past 3 years, the temperature has affected both, I thought. I guess it must be something else that coincides with the weather drop, then, that happens each winter. I will have to think what that could be.

[ladygigger in reply to Pixix]

No, it's no fun and just the latest in a long list of things that have popped up since getting PMR. I knew it wasn't sciatica (had that before, and piriformis syndrome earlier this year - just got that sorted) and nor was it bursitis as I have that in my left hip.

Good luck with the injection. Unfortunately it didn't work at all for me: I've had them before (shoulders) and whilst the first 2 worked I've given up on them now because they have no effect. What has helped my bursitis (and the osteoarthritis flare last week) is acupuncture. It's a bit of a marmite subject and not for everyone: I was very sceptical about it after having patchy results with osteopathy in the past, and really wasn't keen on the chiropractor (particularly as she as supposed to be dealing with my spine, but didn't notice that the pain was being caused by 2 compressed vertebrae). However, a friend had studied acupuncture and had set up a small business, so I gave it a try. It not only helped my sciatica, it also helped with the spinal injury but, as I say, it doesn't work for everyone.

And I'm looking into taking my own stool, definitely! Tramadol (topped up with paracetamol) is helping - slightly.

[Pixix in reply to ladygigger]

Oh, that’s right, I forgot, I knew you knew it wasn’t sciatica, sorry about that! The injections have helped me sometimes, but not others! One guided injections in a major orthopaedic hospital in Oxford lasted 48 hours! They did offer to repeat it, but seemed a waste of resources! But a couple of the thumb injections have helped my OA for 2-3 months. I have a friend who’s an acupuncturist..she’s in Australia, sadly, but of course she recommends it for everything!! I’m open to it…but at times I just get fedup with the money expenditure (currently looking into taking Dr’s advice & getting a sports therapist to do deep tissue massage which he says will help my spinal muscles). But I could spend an arm & three legs on my 12 diseases, & I’d rather use it for holidays!! Glad tramadol is helping, if it’s not time release version, maybe try that for better coverage of pain. A Dr once told me that paracetamol helps tramadol to be more effective. Happy you are stool purchasing!! S x

[Potter100]

I had/have a similar pain & it is a hip problem After xray it showed deterioration & I am now waiting for a replacement op. I also have a new pain just bleow my knee which causes the leg to collapse & so I use a stick/crutches. It all seemed to come on very quickly.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Potter100]

Have you had an x-ray of the lower leg? Is that the same leg?

[Potter100 in reply to PMRpro]

Yes, same leg. Not had xray of lower bit.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Potter100]

I'd want one - there are a few reasons for a knee just collapsing, I'd want some of them ruled out at least!

[Potter100 in reply to PMRpro]

It's not so much that the knee collapses, but the shooting pain is so intense it causes me to stumble. It doesn't happen all the time.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Potter100]

Still not right - and it needs diagnosing.

[ladygigger in reply to Potter100]

Good luck - I haven't managed to get an xray yet but will persist if necessary as it's quite some time since I had one on that side. The last one was for the bursitis in the other hip.

[Zebedee44]

In my case the pain in my hips and groin which extends down my right leg has finally been identified as gluteal tendinopathy and not the sciatica I thought. Doing the wrong type of stretches has aggravated it and I have asked to be reviewed by MSK Triage. There was hip impingement on X-ray which was ignored and further imaging was not offered at my first appt with the MSK team but the pain has got far worse over ten months. I feel as if I am rattling with all the paracetamol I have taken, but it does help a bit.

I hope you get to the bottom of your pain so that you can continue to do what it is that you do, I’m not sure if I understand what that is.

[ladygigger in reply to Zebedee44]

Thank you - and I hope that your get your review quickly. I'm changing exercises: the ones for bursitis really don't help, so the doctor suggested I look at the ones on the NHS Versus Arthritis website, and so far they seem to be helping a little.

And what I do? until 2 years ago, when PMR first struck, I was a part time music photographer covering a wide range of music gigs, concerts and festivals; anything from the local pub to the Palladium, Birmingham Symphony Hall and I'd even managed to do one arena (Birmingham again - World Resorts, where I covered Alice Cooper and The Cult). I'd set up a media website and my partner reviewed whilst I photographed. All that stopped because I couldn't lift a camera due to the weight (at that time I had 2, one on either shoulder).

Now with a complete camera kit change, I was starting to get out again - I did a medium size indoor festival at the end of September in Wolverhampton which showcases up and coming bands, and on Wednesday it was a small club in Milton Keynes. It'll be a shame if I have to stop but I'll still use my camera on my walks.