low back pain | Arthritis Information

 

Just curious if anyone has experienced low back pain..I have had PMR since Feb and been on pred since June....and never, never experienced low back pain, even in my most horrible days. 

I have a feeling that I over did it while decorating for Christmas,,,,this pain is different from any of the PMR symptoms...which for me are stiffness and soreness...and usually the PMR pain/stiffness occurs when I have been stationary for a period of time.....the back pain bothers me even when I am sitting.....

Darn it, and I was dealing with the PMR symptoms,,,,now this....

Hope you all are feeling better each day.

Janet/California

hi puffy,,,,welcome to the forum,,,,have PMR my self,,,,,could be you overdid decorating,,,,try to relax lie of floor with feet up on chair etc. resting it behind your knees   sounds complicated but will relieve lower back pain..hope this works         & nbsp;  let me know        good luck

Hi Rose.

Thank you.......

Lying on the floor with legs on a chair is quite comfortable....thank you.

I believe that I did over do it, as I mentioned, this pain is different from PMR pain....I can almost stand the stiffness/soreness of PMR...maybe just getting used to it.....just don't want to get used to a new pain....

How are you doing with your PMR? 

Janet/California

I also find warm moist heat (u can buy heating pads with a place to put in moist insert) helps me very much....had two lower back ops over the years but fine now (only when I overdo)......PMR bothers me mostly in neck and up into back of head....had cataract ops in Sept. and glasses changed twice,,,,,but am on prednisone so who knows...just had blood tests again and back to rheumy dr. next Monday....I don't find she is very helpful but will try to find another...not many dr.s around here that specialize...have had PMR over the past 5 years, finally got a name for my pains last year...but c'est la vie I still get up and get going each morning...hope you feel better, must go and do a little more housework, bit by bit...learning to have patience.......LOL        puffy        regards Rose   Canada

Dear Janet,
    Lower back pain has definitely been part of PMR for me, almost from the beginning.  It is worse some days than others, but is almost always there.  I find it hard to stand for a long period of time.  I teach at a university, and after standing at the front of the room for an hour my back is achy and tired.  I try to do crunches and yoga stretches in hope that they will help.  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.  It could be, though, as you suspect, that in your case you merely overdid the decorating.  I hope you are feeling better.
Adrienne
Hi Rose, I didn't know about the moist heat heating pad.  Thanks.  I mostly have shoulder and neck pain up into the back of my head and have also developed cataracts via prednisone.  Hope you have a good day 

hi betsy///my motto have heating pad willl travel....also find ibuprophen better than tylenol, and no matter what the weather is, damp, sunny, cold, warm, doesn't matter.  was worried about pain so high up in my neck and head, you are first one who has it that I have heard about, misery loves company guess...have a good day   rose

Hi Rose,I'm going to find the moist heating pad today!  I also bought an inexpensive infra red massage vibrator.  That helps a lot! Before I get out of bed in the mornings, I do my neck shoulders and back of my head.   I do everything that helps a tiny bit, and altogether they help me deal with the pain.  I do feel that I'm impoving slowly, down to 7 mg prednisone.  Ibuprofen has always been a life saver for me, but doesn't help this at all.  Aleve which has never done anything for me helps the PMR a little.  The things that keep me going besides prednisone are, Hot Shower, heating pad, massage thing, Aleve, and Glucosomine Chondrotine.  They all help the tiniest bit, but together have made a difference for me.

You mentioned the back of the head thing. Isn't that terrible!  It gets up under my skull, and I get the worst headache sometimes.  Thankfully, it doesn't always consentrate there.  Maybe next month it will go somewhere else.  I've never heard anyone else complain of that either. That's why I enjoy the posts.  I'm not the only one.  Does anyone know how long PMR has been recognized by the medical community.  I'm still wondering why I never heard of it before I got it, and now it seems a lot of people have it.   

Hi Betsy and all. I have just heard that 2 sister in laws ( in their 80's)  have been diagnosed with PMR only a couple of months apart and they live in the same town as I do. Only 15000 people here  and like most of you I had not heard of PMR either before I got IT! Do things only become more common once we have a personal interest? Another thing I have noticed in this forum and another is the stress level of  " keeping the house clean ."  Are we all house proud 'Clean Freaks' who have got PMR?? Just wondering if this could be a contributing factor? One more question.. does anyone get pain on the left side just above the waist? Have had this nearly all year with no explanation. Merry Christmas to all, Lyn

betsy...hope heat works for u,,,i am on pred. 3 mgs. a day came down off it completely slowly last Oct....came back with a b*a*n*g* two weeks after,,,was away so put myself back on 3mgs....go to Dr. on monday, had another bld test so hope she can help....guess PMR has been around years and years, all the elders caught years ago was lumbago, rhumatism, had no fancy names for PMR then....called old age same as being senile was same as alzthimer????do think someone somewhere has cure but maybe political/money talks,,,same as for cancer.............. seems younger people getting this sooner, hard raising a family, can't go lie down for rest like I can..........have a good day...rose

Hi to everyone,
     I have had low back pain ever since this pmr started, had an mri and the dr. said i have a buldging disc. but did not think that was the cause of the pain...the pain seems to come around my waist and also is on my left side. I am at the point now where I am just trying to live with what I have.  I am so tired of going to the dr. with a new pain. and they look at you like they really do not know what to do with you...Happy Holiday to all
Georgiana

well well, here I am CONFUSED, have been on pred. since June, 2005, for PMR, had come down from 45 mg. faithfully until this past Oct, off altogther for 2 weeks, pain came back with a bang, back of my neck, up into back of scalp along with the regular aches & pains in knees, ankles, along with being soooo tired..........went back on 3 pred. no difference, went to rheumy Dec. 5 send right down for blood tests re SED......just got back from her today......diagnosis for to-day is>>>>>>>>sed rate best since June, 2005, so I don't HAVE PMR, slowly continue to taper of pred....suggests I go to chiropracter.....maybe I have degenerative arthritis?????????????????what am I to believe now??

 

all that time on pred. I have had 2 cataract ops, glasses changed 3 times the past year alone, and now she says to keep on ibuprophen, which I have been on all that time previously.............she would always say to me "when does the pain stop???"hello, I told her when the ibuprophen wore off"......no answer to that one....anyway I now have to think strongly about going to a chiropractor,,,,wha

 

needless to say I am very po.d about this visit to-day,,,,Please God grant me the patience I pray for each day......THANK U ALL FOR LISTENING..

 

Rose from Canada

Rose, There is no test for PMR.  Your sed rate may be normal and you can still be in great pain.  If the prednisone worked you have it. Get another doctor who realizes that, or your life will be miserable. My rheum said just yesterday it is so hard to diagnose and it's by process of elimination.  He said most people suffer one to three years before being correctly diagnosed and treated.  I went to a chiropractor once for my neck before being diagnosed and it took all his strength to loosen up the back of my neck and up under my skull.  It nearly killed me!  Our muscles are so extremely tight and stiff, and I'm not really sure that rigorous treatment is good.  It hurt me so bad.  Good luck, sweetheat, and please get another opinion.  thanks so much Betsy for the encouragement, this has been a low day for me, but I will get another opinion...thinking it's all in my mind etc. so disappointed with rhumy but never did care for her,,,very cold, distant and couldn't give a darn.....tapering off the pred. down to 2 mg now for a couple of weeks, then down to lmg.....just pray I can manage with the pain in my neck and skull....will go back to my GP and start over I guess...tired of letting on everything OK with no pain...........back of neck in knots..tks for getting in touch, again I appreciate your words of encouragement...................rose

Rose,bless your heart.  I can just feel your frustration, but please, keep trying til you find someone who can help you.  3 mg was probably not enough to go back to according to all I've read about this.  If you were in bad pain, maybe it should have been 10.  I know if it's not enough it will come back with a vengence. If prednisone helped you before, it will again.   I would not be afraid to try 10 myself with no dr approval since you've been up to 45. If it helps then you'll know.   I don't know if any of us are absolutely pain free even on the drug from hell, but we are making it.  I hope you can get  to see someone soon.  Just put on your kick ass panties and demand relief until you get some. 

Isn't that neck and up under your skull thing the pits!  To me that's one of the worse times when it decides to settle there for a month or. Will pray for relief for you, sweetheart.  Hang in there.

You mentioned in your above post about pain settling in one area.  Since the beginning of my PMR in Feb 06, my pain has been in my hips, butt

You touched on 2 subjects that I am experiencing.....so, it appears this stuff moves around, leaves one area and finds another...do you find that to be true, even while taking pred? 

Last night I talked to a friend of one of my coworkers whe HAD PMR....she's done with it.....she recalls it lasting between 1 to 2 years. We will get there.....we all have to remember this does go away!  She has OA in her feet, so she had other things going on at the same time. 

Rose, I will say prayers for you, too.  My dear aunts and Mother-in-law are praying for me. It's a frustrating condition...we are used to having colds, flu, etc...and know that in 7-10 we will be back to our selves.... This PMR is goofy.....

Let's all pray we have pain free or at least tolerable day and can be in good spirits!

Janet -California

Rose,

I can sure empathize with you, and am praying for you.
When you see the doctor next time, don't try to hide
any of the pain you are experiencing. My husband always
got upset with me because I would tend to minimize the
pain I was experiencing, and then of course the docs
didn't think it was really worth their bother. It
wasn't until I saw my PCP for some unrelated thing, and
she asked if I was doing so well because she hadn't
seen me in quite a while. My emotions got the better of
me, and I started to cry (quite embarrassing. I told
her I hadn't been in because I was so frustrated with
doctors (especially that first idiot rheumatologist I'd
seen) and all that I didn't want to ever come back, and
didn't know where to turn. I was so tired of hurting
all the time, but didn't know what to do. It really
wears on you.

Betsy, I had that strange thing where the pain would
settle in one place mostly for a while and then after a
while, another area would hurt more. I think that also
makes it hard for a doc to understand when you tell him
one time it hurts here, and the next time it's
somewhere else. They look at you like you're nuts.

I am still doing well, and have been off the prednisone
for over a year, and off all meds for 8 months. I still
think my hip/groin pain is from soft tissue rather than
back problems, but the rheumatologist wants to see the
MRI report from back when. I hope they can figure it
out, 'cause I think if I could get that "fixed" I'd be
great. Have plantar fasciitis in one foot now, since I
didn't take my tennies to Texas and for 2 weeks didn't
have the support my foot was used to. Oh, well.

This PMR really does go away, so have heart all, and
hang in there.

Happy holidays to all.

Reni
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