Pain Map for PMR: Where It Hurts, Why, and What Helps
See where PMR pain usually strikes — shoulders, hips, neck, and thighs — why it happens, and when symptoms signal something urgent.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Understand how PMR typically presents — morning stiffness, shoulder and hip pain — and what separates it from simple muscle soreness or other conditions. This section explains step-by-step diagnosis, including history and exam, ESR/CRP blood tests, and when imaging (ultrasound/MRI) helps, plus red flags that mean you should seek care urgently.
How Doctors Diagnose PMR: History, Exam, Labs, and Imaging
How PMR is diagnosed: classic symptoms, exam and blood tests, when ultrasound helps, why steroid response isn’t enough, plus GCA red flags.
PMR Imaging Explained: When Ultrasound, MRI, or PET Really Help
How imaging supports PMR diagnosis: what ultrasound, MRI, and PET show, when each is used, and how results fit with lab findings and symptoms.
Classic PMR Symptoms (Shoulder–Hip Pain and Morning Stiffness)
Hallmark PMR symptoms: bilateral shoulder and hip pain, prolonged morning stiffness; how doctors confirm with blood tests and imaging.
High CRP in PMR: What It Means, What to Watch, and When to Worry
Learn how C-reactive protein (CRP) is used to diagnose and monitor polymyalgia rheumatica — what “high” means, why CRP can be normal in a few cases, how it compares to ESR, what rising CRP signals during steroid taper, and why IL-6 blockers can mask CRP.
How Stress Can Trigger PMR Symptoms: The Science, the Loop, and What to Do
Stress doesn’t cause polymyalgia rheumatica — but it can worsen symptoms by nudging IL-6/CRP, disturbing sleep, and spiking blood pressure and blood sugar. Learn the stress–inflammation link in PMR and get a practical plan (sleep, skills, food, movement) to keep flares and tapers steadier.
Swollen Hands in PMR: Causes, Diagnosis, and Relief
Learn how and why swollen hands happen in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), how it differs from arthritis, what doctors check, treatments, and self-care that helps.
PMR Blood Tests: ESR, CRP, and More
No single test proves PMR. Learn how ESR/CRP and other labs (CBC, CMP, CK, TSH) support diagnosis and safe treatment monitoring.