Disabling effects
- Pain and stiffness can build up quite quickly, over a week or so.
- The pain and stiffness occur mostly in the shoulders and thighs, is normally worse with movement and may wake the person at night.
The problems encountered as a result of Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) are
- Walking on the flat
- Climbing stairs
- Getting in and out of the bath
- Getting out of bed, (having to roll out of bed)
- Turning over in bed
- Dressing
- Using kitchen utensils
- Reaching
- Stiffness after a period of inactivity; that is, after a night’s sleep, or after sitting for a long time.
N.B. these patients would normally have a degree of osteoarthritis as well.
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However, the condition normally responds well to treatment, usually corticosteroids, and many people can eventually stop them altogether, though some need a maintenance dose.
Amended November 2008
