[Physical therapy and rheumatism of soft tissues]

Soft tissue rheumatism (extraarticular rheumatism) is a group of common disorders found separately as independent disorders or as a symptom of systemic joint or spine diseases. The most frequent soft tissue rheumatisms are tendinopathies, rheumatism of muscles with myofascial pains, fibrositis of subcutaneous tissue and, finally, bursitis and inflammations of tendon sheaths. The commonest therapeutic procedures are non-steroidal anatirheumatic drugs, local infiltrations of corticosteroids, and physiotherapy. In the acute stages cold packs are the best physical measure against subjective pain. In subacute and chronic cases the pain in subcutaneous tissues can be lessened by connective tissue massage and underwater jet massage, muscle pain by heat and active exercises, and tendinopathies by ultrasonics and electrotherapy but very seldom by heat. In chronic bursitis and tendovaginitis, iontophoresis with potassium iodine may be helpful. Reflex pains in muscles are due to lesions of the spine and should therefore be treated by spine extension and manipulations. Every pain in soft tissue has one source in the anatomic lesion of the tissue and the second in psychogenic disorders. The latter must be sought when soft tissue pains are found all over the body on the lines of a generalized fibrositis syndrome.