Polymyalgia rheumatica
Treatment produces dramatic pain relief
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The sudden and deep ache in the muscles of your shoulders defies explanation. It hurts to comb your hair or put on a jacket. On top of that, getting out of bed has become increasingly difficult the last few days as pain and stiffness have now settled into your hips and upper legs. Maybe this is some new form of flu — you feel as if you've aged 20 years in just a matter of days.
Actually, your doctor suspects the problem may be a treatable inflammatory disorder called polymyalgia rheumatica (pol-ee-my-AL-juh roo-MA-tih-kah). As debilitating as the pain can be, proper treatment can often improve the symptoms in a matter of days or even overnight. Keeping the disorder in check as it subsides usually involves careful medication management over one to two years, and sometimes longer.
