Clicks and pops in and around shoulder anyone else ?

@mwhite6262 yes, the jaw pain is in the joint, not like a toothache or root canal, but back in the hinge. If I tried to eat something thick, like a sub. Or hard like tough steak, that joint would hurt.
The shoulders, arms and hips does sound like pmr though. You really need the rheumatologist.
Kevzara or actemara (Same stuff really) is expensive though. The rheumatologist usually can find a way to get it.
Full price is like 4k a month. I'm lucky that being on medicare. Max is 2100 a year, but I get it through a specialty pharmacy with novant, and novant has a program. That pays for it. So I get it for free. Hopfully they can do something similar for you.

The jaw pain is exactly as you describe...especially painful in the morning so if I try to eat a bagel before taking my prednisone I power through the jaw pain. It's only on one side...no tooth pain or mouth pain just the one jaw hinge. By mid day it improves. They did the artery biopsy on the opposite side. They said some Dr perform the artery biopsy on both sides to be as thorough as possible, but they felt since all clear one the side they performed the biopsy on...they are not planning to do the side where I have the jaw pain. I'm not on medicare yet (still on the fence about retiring as I try to wrap my head around how PMR will truly impact me once it's fully treated and stable), but my military retiree insurance has been super throughout all of the variations (total of 11) of MRIs CT scans and ultrasounds over the past 8 weeks to reach this PMR diagnosis...Hopefully if my rheumatologist recommends Kevzara, etc. they will cover it with little if any pushback. And so the journey begins...

@mwhite6262 I would do my best to get off the pred as soon as your body let's you. It works really well, but it can have some bad side effects.
Very bad muscle weakness, even muscle will dissapear. Other things too. I hope your rheumatologist will figure it out. But the 40mg should help it if it's gca. If you have trouble with your eyes, you need to get to an er, as gca can make you lose your vision.

@mwhite6262 I am having jaw pain after starting-back on 20mg. of prednisone. Didn’t have it before. I had a lot of jaw pain the second time I had Covid. Have never had GCA. I am thinking my jaw pain is a response both to an infectious disease and starting- on prednisone. I had TMJ years ago, but this doesn’t feel the same. Couldn’t open my mouth, then. Had to use a straw to “eat” anything….

I was diagnosed with PMR a few months ago. The prednisone helped right away, but as I tapered, pain came back and I am at a higher level again. The clicks and pops phenomenon is quite something! There is popping and movement (and noise) throughout my chest and shoulder area. My rheumatologist said she did not think it was related to the PMR, but after reading these posts and other material, I think it is. I am going to see a physiatrist next month for an x ray and other scans, just to see what's going on in there!

I’m in remission from PMR and currently down to 200 mg of HCQ.
The only popping noise I have is in my hands; I have been X Rayed and nothing was found. My rheumatologist says it’s just a side effect of the disease. No other issues so far.

@cccdcjdm
I had clicking and popping before I started prednisone. It wasn't as bad when I was on 25mg but now that I'm tapering down and at 6mg in preparation for kevzara, I sound like a Rice Krispies commercial again. Mine is not PMR related, it's wear and tear.

I think the pmr / prednisone popping is tendon related. Not so much bones moving.

My experience with clicks and pops: In the two years leading up to my PMR diagnosis, the clicks and pops appeared, especially in a shoulder with an injury, and increased over time. All the PT and massage in the world, which I did religiously for 18 months, would not make them go away--or improve range of motion.

Upon diagnosis and 15 mg prednisone, and almost immediate pain relief, the ongoing PT and therapeutic massage had an affect, in both the injured shoulder and the "good" shoulder. The popping/clicking was still there at first, but as the passed, and I regained most of my range of motion and strength, they subsided. Now, after just six weeks of prednisone, they are largely gone--just the occasional pop/click, mostly in the injured shoulder.

So I would say in answer to the OP's orginal question, the prednisone did not make the popping and clicking go away, but the prednisone did allow my shoulders to respond to PT again. So in that sense, it contributed to my healing.

My sense is that the PMR affected my shoulders most by preventing my PT from having any effect. That goes for hips as well as shoulders.

@ronludington I agree…mine was not so much clicks but muscles rolling over lumps…PT did nothing but increase the pain…started pred and methotrexate and now almost completely gone as is the supposed bursitis in my sit bone area. I feel like the inflammation is reseeding rapidly and letting the tendons and ligaments relax finally.