PMR with only lower body pain?

Posted by dim1 @dim1, Jul 4 11:31am

Is that a thing? I have symptoms that aren’t explained by what doctors tell me. Arthritis in my knees explains some (I’m 70), but the pain is more in my thighs and calves and buttock muscles. Worse right after working in the yard, usually better after rest. Also have biceps tendinitis and nerve pain in the other arm at about 4 every morning. My CRP and ESR were a little up, but not exciting.

I also have weakness in my thighs despite working on a squat machine at the gym and being fairly active gardening and walking. The WEIRD thing is that some days the weakness is gone. I can walk up my stairs without pulling myself on the handrail. It only gets better for a day now and then.

Oh, and I took some leftover prednisone to self-diagnose. First time there was a remarkable change after a couple days (can be diagnostic of PMR). But I stopped it before I had my labs drawn. Second time a few months later before vacation, no difference. Hobbled up and down stairs but I walk OK on flat terrain.

Interested in any thoughts about a diagnosis. I live my docs but I feel like I’m that elephant that 6 blind men are looking at. Each sees something related to their specialty. Not sure anyone is looking at the big picture, and I’m baffled. Have always been healthy and pretty active, normal weight, no other health issues except gestational diabetes (resolved by diet). (And by not being pregnant 😁)

Thanks for any thoughts you have!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

seniormed | @seniormed | Jul 4 11:48am

Is one of your doctors a rheumatologist?
Did you have the lupus and RA screen and muscle
enzymes.? Do you have any skin involvement?
All things that might point to a diagnosis. Could a medication be causing a reaction?

tuckerp | @tuckerp | Jul 4 12:10pm

just my uneducated thought. I agree with seniormed. I took lipitor for awhile which after a few years gave me similar pain from hips on down. My family Dr to diagnose it said I want you to stop taking everything that your on. I took a handful of supplements every day. Turns out to be the lipitor.

lgreg | @lgreg | Aug 5 5:04pm

I was diagnosed in May 2024, my worst pain is in the back of thighs, knees and sometime feet. I have the usual as well(neck, shoulders etc) but the worst is my thighs.

shannonjp | @shannonjp | Aug 6 12:01pm

Yes. I experienced quad and calf symptoms as my body adjusted to zero prednisone. About 8 weeks after reaching zero I started to feel extremely weak in both quads and calves even though I’d been walking throughout my active PMR. In addition to weakness I also had some cramping in both areas. The symptoms lasted about 4 weeks and then gradually diminished.

Unfortunately while going through that I managed to strain the meniscus in my left knee. Now I’m in PT dealing with that but all the weakness/cramping have ended.

linda7 | @linda7 | Aug 6 1:58pm

Your symptoms don't point to a clear-cut case of PMR as you seem to realize. However, my pain ( when I get it mainly at 2-3 AM) is now mainly in the fronts of my thighs with very little PMR type pain in other areas. I have had PMR for over 3 years and been on prednisone for three years. Up until recently almost all of my pain has been in my shoulders. The switch occurred after I started Kevzara 3 months ago. It feels like PMR pain, diffuse and burning. I don't know what the change means, but thigh pain can be caused by PMR.