[Soft tissue rheumatism: critical approach of clinical aspects]

Soft tissue rheumatism or "non-articular rheumatism" represents a group of diverse entities, the common feature of which is muscular stiffness and pain. It is the major cause of morbidity and loss of productive man-hours at work. There is no internationally accepted classification of the soft tissue rheumatism. On hand of an arbitrary classification of the soft tissue rheumatism the affections are divided in localized, regional and generalized conditions.