Polymyalgia Rheumatica: Muscle Pain and Stiffness After 50

What it is

Polymyalgia rheumatica is a disorder that causes muscle pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders and hips. It's most common in women and almost always affects people over 50. Its cause is unknown.

Symptoms

• The main one: stiffness after resting.
• Others: fever, weakness and weight loss.
• It can come on overnight in some people and gradually in others.

Diagnosis

There's no specific test for it. Your doctor will go by your medical history, your symptoms and a physical exam, and lab tests for inflammation can help confirm the diagnosis.

It sometimes occurs together with giant cell arteritis, a condition that causes swelling of the arteries in the head. Its symptoms include headaches and blurred vision.

Treatment

Doctors often prescribe prednisone, a steroid medicine, for both conditions. With treatment, polymyalgia rheumatica usually goes away within a day or two. Without it, it usually lasts a year or more before going away.

Sources

Based on "Polymyalgia Rheumatica," MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; a work of the United States government in the public domain.