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Question about PMR pain locations
Not too long ago i had my knee and foot swell up with lots of pain. I'd not had any mishaps to cause it. By the time i went to bed i could barely handle it. Long story short, i had my son take me to the ER. Xrays showed nothing amiss. I told the doctor i'd been diagnosed with PMR and that the type of pain was similar. He said PMR doesnt occur in one location; i took him to mean it was symmetrical. My question: Do you find the pain and/or swelling can occur on just one side of your body?
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@pst, It kind of sounds like gout. I've had it a couple of times in my right ankle but not the knee. I'm pretty sure it can occur in any of the joints. I'm no expert but my rheumatologist explained to me that PMR was basically like arthritis all over the body. Mine was mostly in the shoulders and legs.
"Gout is a common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone. It's characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in one or more joints, most often in the big toe."
--- Gout - Symptoms and causes: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gout/symptoms-causes/syc-20372897
I’m finding that it is both sides almost always. Even if it starts on one side, it ends up on both sides.
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1 ReactionI’ve had a swollen leg for the last three weeks. I suspected an Achilles tendon tear. But now I’m not so sure. The swelling has gone down a lot but whenever I walk around. Bit, it. Ones back. My other leg feels good, except for some pain in my calf. I wonder if this is PMR also. The pain was relentless. It occurred around the same time that my prednisone was decreased.
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2 ReactionsMe too. I'd decreased my prednisone earlier that week
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2 ReactionsMy pain started on one side but eventually involved both, except for intercostal pain. For some reason it only affected my right chest wall.
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4 ReactionsDecreasing prednisone absolutely had more pain happen . I see my Rheumatologist the end of the month. I increased prednisone 1 tablet a day with significant pain improvement. Wondering if I should increase one more a day.
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2 ReactionsI’ve had pain on both sides but sometimes one side hurts worse than the other. Usually it’s a place I’ve injured prior to PMR.
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3 Reactionsoh yes....PMR moves around my body from one area to another without warning. I could have pain in my right arm and my left arm is reasonably ok... Sometimes it is both sides and shoulders and neck and other times just one area. I also can have bad pains on one side of my hips and the other is ok. Generally my lower body is at a certain stiffness then pain each day but walking helps and Qigong to keep moving. My feet do not generally become affected but if my legs are stiff so are my feet and I have to steady myself for a little while until I can move off. I hope this helps.
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1 ReactionThe doctor at the ER mentioned the possibility of gout. He suggested drawing fluid from my knee. I declined with thanks. My mission at that moment was less pain, not more.
The first time I was diagnosed with PMR, I could barely walk. Along with the PMR I also had gout in my right foot and my knee was swollen. I'm not sure the knee had gout but they did remove a significant amount of fluid from the knee and it made a big difference in my ability to walk with less pain prior to taking my first dose of prednisone that day.