Rheumatism is a very imprecise term used to describe various chronic muscular aches and pains. It can include fibrositis and lumbago and may be referred to as “myalgia”, which just means pain in the muscles. Arthritis simply means an inflammation of a joint, although as there are various types of arthritis requiring rather different treatment it is important to be sure of the exact diagnosis.
Osteoarthritis is generally due to “wear and tear” — youthful injuries to joints that have never fully healed or obesity putting excessive strain on the weight-bearing joints.Typically in osteoarthritis the protective cartilage surrounding the bones of a joint becomes damaged and wears away, causing the bones to rub together and become deformed. Joints often creak, become stiff and painful, while movement is often limited. (more…)
Backache is one of our most common ailments: causes can range from pulled muscles and damaged discs (the spongy plugs that separate the vertebrae and act as shock absorbers) to poor posture, kidney disease, gynaecological problems or simply sitting in an awkward position for long periods.
Some sorts of backache are dignified by rather grander names: “lumbago” simply means pain in the lower back (the lumbar region) from whatever cause, whereas “sciatica” is a pain felt along the back and outer side of the thigh, leg and foot, with accompanying back pain and stiffness, often caused by a damaged disc putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. “Fibrositis” is an inflammation of fibrous tissue, especially muscle sheaths, which often affects the back muscles. It leads to pain and stiffness and can be treated with anti-inflammatories and those remedies recommended for rheumatic disorders. (more…)
No matter how healthy their lifestyles sooner or later most people have some experience of muscular aches and pains: it could be a pulled muscle or ligament due to accidental injury, the wear and tear of osteoarthritis or even that new ill of the 20th century, repetitive strain injury. Or it could be a less localised problem — a systemic disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis or, more commonly, a nagging backache which seems to have no obvious cause. (more…)
