Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica is the inflammation of muscles which causes muscles stiffness and pain more commonly in hips and shoulders. Pain and stiffness usually worsen early in the morning after wakeup.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of polymyalgiarheumatica include:
- Pain in neck
- Stiffness in shoulder
- Movement limitation
- Pain in hips and thighs
- Depression
- Mild fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
Causes
The exact cause of this disorder is still unknown but it may assume that this condition is multifactorial disease which include environmental and genetic factors.
Complications
If left untreated it may cause the following complications:
- Made impossible to getting out from bed and standing up
- Depression
- Affect social life
Diagnosis
After taking history and conducting physical examination your doctor might recommend the following tests to diagnose the disorder:
- Imaging test to rule out the other muscular disorders
- Blood test to check the complete count
- Check nerve conduction test
Treatment
Treatment help to reduce the signs and symptoms, medications include:
- Corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation
- Vitamin D capsule to reduce bone loss
- Calcium supplements
- Methotrexate to suppress the over acting immune system and reduce the inflammation
- Physical therapy
Lifestyle and home remedies
Home remedies which help you include:
- Take rest
- Eat healthy food
- Exercise daily to prevent the muscle stiffness
- Use assistive device for doing daily life chores