If you’ve woken up recently feeling like your shoulders and hips have turned to concrete… you’re not imagining it.
If getting dressed feels like you’ve aged twenty years overnight… you’re not imagining it.
And if the stiffness eases a bit as the morning goes on — but comes back every single day — you’re still not imagining it.

This is classic polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) territory. And it’s one of the most misunderstood causes of body pain in adults over 50.

Let’s break it down simply, without the medical waffle.

What Actually Is Polymyalgia Rheumatica?

PMR is an inflammatory condition that mainly affects the shoulders, neck, upper arms, hips, and thighs. It’s not wear and tear. It’s not “just getting older”. And it’s not your posture.

It’s your immune system flicking into a higher “inflammation mode” than it needs to — creating stiffness and pain around the larger joints.

The key features are unmistakable:

• Severe morning stiffness lasting 45 minutes or more
• Pain on both sides (both shoulders, both hips)
• Difficulty lifting your arms – washing hair becomes a project
• Pain easing after movement or after you “warm up”
• You might also feel fatigued, low, or generally unwell

A GP diagnosis is essential for this one, often backed up by blood tests checking inflammation markers (ESR and CRP).

But here’s the important part…

PMR Often Sneaks Up and Gets Mislabelled

People assume it’s a frozen shoulder.
Or arthritis.
Or muscular strain.
Or — the classic — “I just slept funny”.

Meanwhile, the stiffness gets worse. You start adapting how you move. You stop doing the things you enjoy. And pain ends up running the show.

Understanding what’s going on can be a massive relief for people who finally feel “seen”.

Why Does It Happen? (And No, You Didn’t Cause It)

The uncomfortable truth: PMR doesn’t have a clean-cut cause.
But we do know:

• It’s most common in adults over 50
• Women are affected slightly more
• There’s often a genetic component
• It can be linked to changes in immune activity as we age
• Sometimes it appears after illness or a stressful period

What matters most is that it’s not your fault, and you didn’t trigger it by exercising wrong, lifting things, or having poor posture.

Treatment: What Helps and What Doesn’t

1. Medical Treatment (You Need This Part)

PMR responds extremely well to low-dose steroids, often with quick relief.
This is the mainstay of treatment — non-negotiable.

If someone is telling you they can “fix PMR” without involving your GP… run.

2. Osteopathy Has a Clear Role — But It’s Supportive

This is where patients often look confused, so let me explain:

You can’t “massage away” PMR.
But you can massively help the secondary problems it creates:

• Tight muscles from moving differently
• Reduced shoulder mobility
• Hip and spinal stiffness
• Fatigue and deconditioning
• Difficulty with daily movements
• Breathing pattern changes from guarding pain

Think of osteopathy as helping you move well while the inflammation calms down.
Not curing PMR — supporting your recovery.

3. Movement — The Right Kind, Not the Punishing Kind

You don’t need hardcore workouts.
But you do need gentle, consistent movement to stop stiffness from owning you.

Things that help:

• Light mobility work
• Short daily walks
• Gentle strengthening
• Breathing practice
• Pacing instead of pushing

Consistency wins here. Not intensity.

What People Commonly Get Wrong

Let’s clear up some myths:

❌ “I’ll wait for it to go away on its own.”

It won’t. And you’ll feel much worse for much longer.

❌ “I should avoid moving to protect myself.”

Movement is essential. Immobilisation makes stiffness brutal.

❌ “The pain means I’m damaging something.”

No — this is inflammation, not injury.

❌ “It’s just old age.”

Absolutely not. PMR is specific, treatable, and diagnosable.

A Calmer, More Hopeful Way Forward

With the right treatment, PMR is very manageable.
Most people respond extremely well to steroids within days.
Osteopathy, mobility work, and pacing help you rebuild strength, confidence, and quality of life.

You don’t need to live in dread of mornings or struggle with simple tasks.

There is a path forward — and you don’t have to navigate it alone.