Appointment prep
Prepare for a polymyalgia rheumatica evaluation
Sudden severe shoulder and pelvic girdle stiffness in people over 50 is frequently attributed to 'getting old' or frozen shoulder. Medvo helps document the dramatic steroid response and request proper workup.
Symptoms patients describe
- · Profound morning stiffness in shoulders, neck, hips lasting >45 min
- · Difficulty rising from bed or chair, lifting arms overhead
- · Systemic: low-grade fever, weight loss, fatigue, depression
Tests & referrals to request
Framed as evaluation — your clinician decides what is appropriate.
- · ESR, CRP (often very high), response to low-dose prednisone trial
- · Referral to rheumatology; temporal artery ultrasound/biopsy if GCA symptoms
- · Rule out malignancy, infection, and giant cell arteritis
If you've been dismissed
- · Told 'it's just old age' or 'arthritis'
- · No labs or steroid trial offered despite classic presentation