I had the same thing happen in October 2019. Within a couple of days of receiving the flu vaccine, my hips and shoulders began to ache and I began to lose some mobility. I was unable to lift my leg into bed. I had received the vaccine at a local pharmacy and the pain began after 3 or four days. After a week or so went to my primary care physician (PCP). He ordered some hip x-rays and promptly told me I need a hip replacement due to degeneration and bone spurs. A consult with an orthopedic surgeon was scheduled. However, I persisted in complaining to my PCP telling him I felt as though I had been in an auto accident but had not broken any bones. After three visits he ordered some lab work and placed me on 10mg of prednisone. My symptoms were 100% gone the next day.
Now my PCP, who is a patient of mine (I am a dentist) told me that the relationship between the flu vaccine and PMR was tenuous at best and was hard to prove. I understand that the appearance of PMR so close to the flu vaccine may be a coincidence but there are scholarly papers available on the internet that point to a possible causal relationship.
I asked my PCP this: If you come to me for a dental exam and after X-rays, I tell you, you have a cavity that needs filling, you might tell me, "it doesn't bother me". Of course, I might say but it still needs filling. If, after filling it immediately begins to hurt, it would be reasonable to question the connection between my work and the discomfort you now feel. I would never consider the complaint to be coincidental. He paused for a moment and said, "You're right".
I also asked him how many people might have had prosthetic hip placement when they really didn't need it. He said "Some". I canceled my consult for hip replacement. I also filed a report with VAERS. That is important..