PMR and exercise: What helps you?

Posted by jcaffrey47 @jcaffrey47, Jul 17, 2021

We are told that we have to stay active but what does that mean? This issue became very real for me when I attempted to swim the crawl stroke in the swimming pool. I was feeling pretty good at the time. The prednisone had kicked in and I swam the equivalent of two laps. The next day my shoulders were on fire and I was suffering a full flare; my first. Maybe everyone reading this will say that I was foolish to do any exercise that involve my shoulders and that I should limit my exercise to other parts of the body like walking or maybe biking. Let’s start a dialogue and find out what exercises work for all of us.

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

Teri | @tsc | Feb 13, 2022

In reply to @johnbishop "@novabill, I have been thinking about getting one but not for inflammation. I wanted to see..." + (show)

Hi @novabill and @johnbishop I bought a Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Exerciser primarily to increase bone density. I wasn't thinking of toning muscles, but that has been one of the benefits. WBV also reportedly supports lymphatic drainage. I've been using it since August for 15 minutes, at least, 6 x a week, sometimes twice. Amazon has a large number of WBV machines. I chose Eilison Bolt because of its weight (11 lbs.), five year warranty, and it can be used on carpets (I put it on a yoga mat). It also has nine different programs reportedly with specific benefits. Make sure you read the disclaimers because people with certain health conditions should not use them. I had a mitral valve repair with a ring around the valve. My surgeon said the vibration machine would have no effect on it whatsoever. I'm glad I got one, regardless it will take a while to know the effect on my bone density.

John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Feb 13, 2022

In reply to @tsc "Hi @novabill and @johnbishop I bought a Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Exerciser primarily to increase bone..." + (show)

Thanks Teri! I just ordered one yesterday, mostly hoping it will help with bone density and lymphatic drainage. The toning muscles would be a plus.

jfannarbor | @jfannarbor | Jun 30, 2022

I think I feel better if I exercise. I have had PMR for 30 years off and on. Is there any studies on this subject?

John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Jun 30, 2022

In reply to @jfannarbor "I think I feel better if I exercise. I have had PMR for 30 years off..." + (show)

Hi @jfannarbor, I've had 2 occurrences of PMR and believe that exercise played a major part in helping me get the PMR into remission sooner that my first round with PMR . Of course I also changed my eating habits and started eating a little healthier. Here's an article I found using Google Scholar ( https://scholar.google.com/) which I like to use when searching for the latest medical research articles.

What non-pharmacological treatments do people with polymyalgia rheumatica try: results from the PMR Cohort Study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00296-021-05036-6

Here are the search results for "exercise +polymyalgia rheumatica" if you want to see more....
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C24&q=exercise+%2Bpolymyalgia+rheumatica&btnG=

denise23 | @denise23 | Aug 26, 2022

I was diagnosed with PMR in March 2022 and started on 20 mg of Prednisone with good relief until I tried to go from 4 mg to 3 mg last month. I had a major flare with leg and buttock pain waking me in the night as well as severe leg cramps lasting over an hour during the evening. At this same time I was increasing my exercise level to prepare for a trip to Peru. My Rheumatologist increased my dose to 10 during the day and 5 at night and said this would allow me to exercise as I please while on my trip and Ill start tapering again when I get back. I feel upset about my increase but also want to be safe on my trip.
I wasn't aware of the relationship between exercise, PMR and prednisone and was wondering if someone can explain that.
Previous to PMR I was fairly active and in general feel much better when I exercise.

linda7 | @linda7 | Aug 26, 2022

In reply to @denise23 "I was diagnosed with PMR in March 2022 and started on 20 mg of Prednisone with..." + (show)

Yes, there does seem to be relationship between moderate exercise and increased PMR symptoms with lower doses of prednisone. I guess the explanation is that exercise causes inflammation. I started on 20 mg of prednisone in August of 2021. I had gone 4 months without a diagnosis and had backed my activity level way off due to pain. Suddenly I could do whatever I wanted again: 8-9 mile hikes with 1500 feet of elevation gain, bike rides up steep hills, birding carrying a telescope and gear 3-4 miles. There was no pain and no after-effects. This was true until I got below 10 mg when I began to have increased symptoms with activity. Below 8 mg I really ran into trouble. My rheumatologist told me to hold on 8 mg for awhile. I'm continuing my preferred activities but not hiking and walking as far and slowing everything down. I feel that I need to do this to continue the taper. I am taking a trip next month and will not drop my dose until I get back. If you are like me, 15 mg will allow you to really enjoy your trip!

John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Aug 26, 2022

In reply to @denise23 "I was diagnosed with PMR in March 2022 and started on 20 mg of Prednisone with..." + (show)

Hello @denise23, Welcome to Connect. You will notice that we moved your post into an existing discussion on the same topic here - PMR and exercise: What helps you?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pmr-and-exercise/ so that you could connect with @jcaffrey47, @tsc, @cgent, @zaa and others.

The key thing I've learned from my two occurrences of PMR is that exercise is important and I feel better when I get 30 to 60 minutes a day of exercise in but I also have to make sure I don't overdo it. Even though my PMR is in remission, if I do too much exercise, my body lets me know the next day. I have Teeter FreeStep exercise bike that I try to use for 30 to 60 minutes a day along as part of my exercise routine.

The Arthritis-Health site has some good strategies for copying with PMR here: https://www.arthritis-health.com/blog/3-strategies-coping-polymyalgia-rheumatica-pmr

You might also want to keep a daily pain log along with how much prednisone you took that day. I never tapered when it was time unless my pain level was a 1 or 2 on a scale of 1 to 10. Do you keep a daily pain log?

denise23 | @denise23 | Aug 26, 2022

In reply to @linda7 "Yes, there does seem to be relationship between moderate exercise and increased PMR symptoms with lower..." + (show)

Thank you so much for your comments. This is what happened to me and I never expected it. When I spoke with my rheumatologist nurse she told me she thought the exercise may have exacerbated my flare. Just hoping I can get back on track again for my taper when I return.

denise23 | @denise23 | Aug 26, 2022

In reply to @johnbishop "Hello @denise23, Welcome to Connect. You will notice that we moved your post into an existing..." + (show)

Thanks so much for your suggestions!

scpartain | @scpartain | Aug 27, 2022

In reply to @denise23 "I was diagnosed with PMR in March 2022 and started on 20 mg of Prednisone with..." + (show)

My first bout of PMR occurred fourteen years ago at age 62. At the time, I had decided to intensify my exercise program from a simple walk in the evening to a more vigorous regimen of power walking and stair climbing at the local high school track and football stadium. Not very long after I began this program I was struck by incapacitating pain in my neck, shoulders, hips and legs, which I believed was brought on by the increased exercise. After various doctor visits and months of prednisone treatment, the PMR resolved and I was able to resume a milder exercise program. I remained in remission until 2021, when, after my first Covid vaccination, I experienced a second debilitating flare of PMR and was treated again with prednisone. After months of treatment, I finally achieved remission again and was able to discontinue the prednisone. The rheumatologist's parting advice to me was to avoid intense exercise, especially stair climbing. I am now 76 and have remained in remission from my latest flare for one year. My exercise regime consists of thirty minutes of daily walking at a moderate pace.