Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica is a disorder that causes muscle pain and stiffness in your neck, shoulders, and hips. It is most common in women and almost always occurs in people over 50. The main symptom is stiffness after resting. Other symptoms include fever, weakness and weight loss. In some cases, polymyalgia rheumatica develops overnight. In others, it is gradual.
The cause of polymyalgia rheumatica is unknown. There is no specific test for it. Your doctor will use your medical history, symptoms, and a physical exam to make the diagnosis. Lab tests for inflammation may help confirm the diagnosis.
Polymyalgia rheumatica sometimes occurs along with giant cell arteritis, a condition that causes swelling of the arteries in your head. Symptoms include headaches and blurred vision. Doctors often prescribe prednisone, a steroid medicine, for both conditions. With treatment, polymyalgia rheumatica usually disappears in a day or two. Without treatment, it usually goes away after a year or more.
It sits within Bones, Joints and Muscles and Skin, Hair and Nails.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Polymyalgia Rheumatica
189 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Open-label, Long-term Safety Study of Secukinumab in Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)Novartis Pharmaceuticals
- Tocilizumab Discontinuation Versus Dose Reduction for Patients With Well-Controlled Giant Cell ArteritisNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- Kinetics of C-Reactive Protein in Giant Cell Arteritis Following Glucocorticoid Initiation: A Pilot Study (GIDEON)University Hospital, Limoges
- Halo Sign Vanishing Time After Steroids Outbreak in GCA PatientsCentre Hospitalier le Mans
- Studies of the Natural History, Pathogenesis, and Outcome of Idiopathic Systemic VasculitisNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
- Immunosuppressant Management in Rheumatology Patients Undergoing Elective Total Shoulder ArthroplastyNYU Langone Health
Research already completed
- Phase III Study of Efficacy and Safety of Secukinumab Versus Placebo, in Combination With Glucocorticoid Taper Regimen, in Patients With Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)Novartis Pharmaceuticals
- Study of the Benefit of Early Treatment With an Endothelin Inhibitor (Bosentan) in Patients With Sudden Blindness Due to Giant Cell Arteritis: CECIBOCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice
- Abatacept in earLy Onset Polymyalgia Rheumatica: Study ALORSUniversity Hospital, Brest
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Polymyalgia RheumaticaAmerican College of Rheumatology
- Polymyalgia RheumaticaMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell ArteritisNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Diagnosis and Tests
- C-Reactive Protein (CRP) TestNational Library of Medicine
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)National Library of Medicine
Treatments and Therapies
- PrednisoneJohns Hopkins Vasculitis Center
- Prednisone and Other Corticosteroids: Balance the Risks and BenefitsMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Related Issues
- What is Vasculitis?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Polymyalgia RheumaticaNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Polymyalgia Rheumatica. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Polymyalgia Rheumatica, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.