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What is rheumatism and how can it be cured?
Rheumatism, a popular term for chronic pain, applies to a variety of diseases that cause pain, stiffness and limitation of motion of joints, bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles
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heumatism, a popular term for chronic pain, applies to a variety of diseases that cause pain, stiffness and limitation of motion of joints, bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles. These disorders are marked by inflammation, degeneration or metabolic derangement of the connective tissue structures involved.
The term “rheumatism” is no longer used in medical literature as there is no specific disease to which rheumatism pertains to and it encompasses a wide variety of conditions.
A patient experiencing chronic joint or bone pain (usually in the back, neck or shoulder areas) although doctors cannot pinpoint exactly what the cause of the pain is, is said to have rheumatism.
There are no signs or history of trauma. Some patients may experience pain that may last from days to weeks and even months, while others may have a sudden onset of flares or episodes.
Some patients will claim rainy weather triggers the onset of pain or the flare. What’s surprising is that they tend to be fairly consistent.
The patient feels the pain on a daily basis with no relief. Most commonly prescribed painkillers cannot address this condition.
Incidentally, what is referred to as “rheumatism” is sometimes referred to as “wind wetness” in Chinese traditional medicine (TCM).
In the TCM context, there is for lack of a better word “dampness” in the blood circulation of the body, resulting in stagnant blood flow, causing generalized body aches especially in the muscles.
Late night showers or baths, touching water excessively during the post-natal period and catching a chill that never goes away are said to cause this “wetness”.
This wetness translates into muscle and joint aches or bodily pain during wet, rainy weather or in an air-conditioned environment.
To heal the “wind wetness”, one must stay warm, especially during post-delivery confinement, or by avoiding showering at night. This kind of treatment does not exist in modern medicine.
It has long been believed there is a link between “rheumatic” pain and the weather. There appears to be no firm evidence in favor of or against it.
A 1995 questionnaire given to 557 people by A. Naser and others at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Pain Management Center concludes that “changes in barometric pressure are the main link between weather and pain”.
Low pressure is generally associated with cold, wet weather and an increase in pain. Clear, dry conditions signal high pressure and a decrease in pain.
A vast number of traditional herbal remedies can be recommended for “rheumatism”. Modern medicine, both conventional and complementary, recognize that different rheumatic disorders have different causes (and several of them even have multiple causes) and require different kinds of treatment.
Nevertheless, modern medicine tends to treat major rheumatological diseases with analgesics such as paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Usually, many patients with a variant of rheumatism will not respond well to standard painkillers and analgesia.
They may require treatment along the lines of fibromyalgia. The use of very specialized medications such as anti-convulsants, anti-depressants and muscles relaxants has a unique role in the treatment of this type of pain.
On a last note, it is important to remember the following:
Standard NSAIDs and painkillers can be useful but the pain may recur and will eventually need stronger analgesics.
Exercise is helpful for non-articular rheumatism. It is usually very hard to convince the patients since exercise involves moving muscles and joints and this in itself can increase the pain experienced.
©FlyFreeForHealth2010
Dr. Bernard Lee is a pain specialist and director for Interventional Pain Management Services at Singapore Pain Care Center (www.paincarecenter.com.sg). Articles in this column are provided by a panel of doctors from www.flyfreeforhealth.com, a global interactive platform providing health services and public education just a click away. Join our free online seminar titled “Irregular Periods” on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 4 p.m. WIB. Register your email address by SMS to +65 98473224 to receive the link invite. Email us at
info@flyfreeforhealth.com.
