PMR and fingers swollen and painful

It would be a good idea to talk with your doctor about this. You might have RS3PE syndrome, which can mimic PMR.

Hello @jackiepmr, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @mark2471 and others. I thought I would share a research article on RS3PE syndrome that has a few pictures of swollen hands in case you would like to know more about the condition:
-- Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RS3PE) syndrome: A case report
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210833511000025
I agree with @mark2471 about talking with your doctor or rheumatologist. Have you had a chance to discuss the pain and swelling in the hands with your doctor?

PMR was the prodrome before I was diagnosed
with Psoriatic arthritis. See a rheumatologist and have
the autoimmune panel repeated. Ultrasound can
show inflammation of synovitis and enthesitis.

I have exactly the same issue. Diagnosed with PMR 10/2023 started at 15 mg got down to 2 mg 12/2024. Hands swelled couldn't make a fist and hard time getting dressed. Rhuematologist tested me for RA came back negative CRP and sed rate low. Rhuematologist said to take Tylenol 3 times a day that did nothing. Finally said it was a flare and bumped prednisone back up to 10 mg in 4/25. I'm back down to 2 mg again and starting to have some pain in my fingers in the morning, but no swelling so far. I have been taking two Arthritis Tylenol in the morning with the prednisone and it seems to be working. Kind of nervous about dropping to 1 mg in a couple of weeks.

@johnbishop I do have the pain in my hands, difficulty making a fist. But I do NOT have RS3PE, according to the doctor; not the swelling, not the pitting and not the inflammation of the joints. Probably it is my muscles. When I do hand-exercices during the day it gets a lot better. I only take a NSAID

I was diagnosed yesterday with RS3PE by the rheumatologist. I had the swollen hands, as well as swollen knees and ankles. I could barely function. He put me on 15mg prednisone and I woke up a new woman. I was diagnosed with PMR in 2023, took prednisone, became superwoman, tapered down to 0 in January of 2025 with no issues, became human again.

I believe I have the gene for PMR (my mother and her mother had 'bursitis'), and that both of my flares were caused by overwork (I used to be a housepainter/I tried to sand and seal a deck in the heat). I felt fine, then the soreness didn't go away, then I became debilitated. At least this time I knew who to go to and what to do.

So I'm trying to learn about this apparently rare form of PMR, as my rheumatologist said. This version was more debilitating because my hands didn't work. Combined with my knees not working, it effectively made getting up and down even more difficult than the first time. Even though my hips and shoulders were fine this time and I could sleep lying flat, getting up out of bed was even harder.

Will this happen again? Why is this so similar and yet so different from the first time? The first time I was ignorant about prednisone. Now I know what it can do and willingly submitted. My grandmother suffered before prednisone was available and was an invalid for the next 35 years. My mother received prednisone and never had another bout for the next 35 years.