I don't know what did more harm --- PMR or prednisone.

Since PMR is a condition that usually doesn't cause permanent damage to joints or muscles then I need to hold prednisone responsible for some of the harm. In my case, some of the blame must be pinned on inflammatory arthritis too. I hope underlying inflammatory arthritis isn't pertinent to most people with PMR.

I'm off prednisone but my rheumatologist says I still have PMR. I'm still being treated for PMR but I'm on a biologic instead of prednisone. I want to put prednisone behind me along with my battle with daily pain. Yes, prednisone relieved most of my pain. However, if I didn't take prednisone the pain would return. Frankly, the pain would return before it was time for my next prednisone dose. I waged this battle for more than 12 years.

The biologic I currently take for PMR has helped me tremendously. Not being treated with prednisone has made a world of difference in my ability to exercise. I can do so much more now compared to when I was still taking prednisone. When I was still on prednisone, I didn't exercise at all because the fatigue was just too overwhelming. The fatigue had to be caused by adrenal insufficiency assuming I still have PMR like my rheumatologist says.

My excercise is mostly aquacise these days but I also do resistance exercise with elastic bands. I also do aerobic excercise doing the treadmill, steps, and push-ups. I can do 50 pull-ups in the water which really helps my ego!

A physical therapist supervises an exercise class that I attend. I do at least an hour or more every day doing "something" that I consider to be exercise. I don't worry about overdoing anything or pacing myself. However, the exercise I currently do is a far cry from what I used to do when I was younger. I just turned 70 so I try to keep what exercise is feasible in perspective considering my age.

The biggest difference I notice is my recovery time. I can push myself pretty hard and I recover quickly. When I did anything remotely strenuous when I was on prednisone it would wipe me out immediately and I didn't recover until I slept for a few hours.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is muscle pain that begins after you've worked out. It "normally" starts a day or two after a workout. I felt muscle pain within a few hours and it persisted for days so it wasn't normal. Sometimes I needed to increase my prednisone dose the next day if I did something too taxing. Almost anything required a lot of work so I avoided doing anything at all.

Now I have "normal DOMS" which actually makes me feel good. I feel like I accomplished something now when my muscles are a little sore the next day. I think prednisone wasted away my muscles and now I see a bit of muscle tone which is good for an old guy.