Rheumatic patches - a common cause of inexplicable pains
From DoctorMyhill
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A rheumatic patch is a sensitive patch of skin which hurts when generally pinched. They are most often found over the scalp, neck and back but can be present anywhere in the skin. There is a real pathology there too - haphazard collagen bundles, fewer hair and sweat glands with infiltration by white cells. Look for them yourself by gently picking up a "shallow as possible" fold of skin and squeezing them between your fingers. Occasionally there are tiny thread veins of skin tags associated with them. People don't know they have them until they look for them. Osteopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, etc. all know about them and treat rheumatic patches, but probably call them something else!
What is so important about rheumatic patches is that they are often misdiagnosed as something else - prolapsed disc, cervical spondylosis, sciatica, sacroiliac strain, fibrositis, fibromyalgia, neuralgia, stiff neck, repetitive strain injury etc...and therefore treated incorrectly. Even migraine can be associated with rheumatic patches in the scalp.
The rheumatic patch is thought to be the earliest lesion of Arthritis. Most patients with established arthritis have pain for years before they have serious joint problems or x-ray changes. If treated at this early stage, progression of arthritis can be halted.
The rheumatic patch is an area of "stiffness" in the skin. One feature of stiffness which the structural engineers tells us about is that lines of force tend to be concentrated through stiff patches - which makes them vulnerable to mechanical stress. Thus any structural imbalance in the body for whatever reason, (lopsidedness, poor posture, muscle strain etc.) concentrates stress lines through the stiff patches and causes pain.
Treatment of Rheumatic Patches - this is tackled by:
- Preventing the stiff area of the skin from being there at all. One cause of stiff areas is food intolerance, possibly Lectins. This may be triggered off by an acute viral infection. Indeed the old advice of "starving a fever" may have helped by preventing rheumatic patches from developing. Lectins are natural plant toxins and the main source is in wheat. However some patients have specific food allergies. Magnesium is another possible cause, as is essential fatty acid imbalance.
- Do the Stone Age Diet.
- Improving posture, muscle tone and balance (rheumatic patches are very rare in athletes and gymnasts) - see a good physiotherapist or osteopath.
- Dissolving the collagen from the stiff patch with salicylate rub ons/massage and/or local injections.
Try a NSAI (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) rub on such as ibugel or movelat. To be effective it must be rubbed in at least twice daily, only onto the rheumatic patch with gentle circular motions. Dr David Freed specialises in injecting rheumatic patches to good effect.
Dr D Freed (allergist), 14 Marston Road, Salford, Manchester M7 4ER, Tel: 01617 956225 is the UK expert!
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References
- Fox WW (1981) Arthritis: Is your suffering really necessary? Robert Hale, London
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