Polymyalgia rheumatica is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes pain in the muscles near the shoulder and hip joints, accompanied by stiffness and difficulty to move the joints, which lasts about 1 hour after waking.
Although its cause is not known, this problem is more common in older people over 65 and rarely occurs in people under 50 years of age.
Polymyalgia rheumatica usually has no cure, but treatment with corticosteroids helps relieve the symptoms and may even prevent them from recurring after 2 or 3 years.
Main symptoms
The signs and symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica usually appear on both sides of the body and include:
- Severe pain in the shoulders that can radiate to the neck and arms;
- Pain in the hip that can radiate to the buttock;
- Stiffness and difficulty in moving the arms or legs, especially after waking up;
- Difficulty getting out of bed;
- Feeling of excessive tiredness;
- Fever below 38ºC.
Over time and with the onset of various seizures, other symptoms such as general feeling of malaise, lack of appetite, loss of weight and even depression may appear.
How is the diagnosis made?
The diagnosis of rheumatic polymyalgia may be difficult to confirm, since the symptoms are similar to other joint diseases such as arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, it may be necessary to do several tests, such as blood tests or magnetic resonance imaging to rule out other hypotheses.
In some cases, the use of remedies for other diseases may even be started before the correct diagnosis is reached, and if the symptoms do not improve, the treatment is changed to try to solve a new diagnosis.
How to treat
The main form of treatment for this disease is the use of corticosteroids, such as Prednisolone, to help reduce inflammation in the joints and relieve symptoms of pain and stiffness.
Usually, the initial dose of corticosteroid therapy is 12 to 25 mg per day, and it is reduced over time until the lowest possible dose is reached without symptoms recurring. This is done because steroid medications, when used frequently, can cause diabetes, weight gain and even frequent infections.
Learn more about the effect of these medications on the body.
In addition, the rheumatologist may also recommend the intake of calcium and vitamin D through supplements or foods such as yogurt, milk or egg, to strengthen the bones and avoid some of the side effects of corticosteroids.
Physiotherapy treatment
Physiotherapy sessions are recommended for people who have not been able to move properly due to the pain and stiffness caused by polymyalgia rheumatica. In these cases, the physiotherapist does some exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles.
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