When rheumatic diseases are mentioned, many people think of rheumatoid arthritis, etc., but very little is known about rheumatic polymyalgia. So, what is rheumatic polymyalgia? Rheumatic polymyalgia is a disease that occurs mostly in the elderly, especially in women, and generally develops after the age of 50. Its main characteristics are muscle pain and stiffness in the neck, upper arm, scapula, hip and femur, which is worse in the middle of the night and the next morning. The stiffness lasts for more than one hour in the morning, and the muscle pain is mostly symmetrical, even if it is initially limited to one side, but eventually affects the other side. The stiffness is more pronounced in the morning or when moving again after rest. In acute cases, the whole body is usually sore and stiff when waking up in the morning. In severe cases, there are difficulties in combing hair, washing face, dressing, squatting, and walking up and down stairs. Since these activity disorders are caused by muscle and joint stiffness and pain, they can be gradually relieved or alleviated after activities. The systemic symptoms of this disease are more pronounced, with hypothermia, fatigue, and weight loss being extremely common. The most prominent laboratory abnormalities are increased blood sedimentation (40 to 50 mm/hour) and elevated C-reactive protein. For rheumatic polymyalgia, western medicine mostly adopts glucocorticoid therapy, with prednisone 10-20 mg/day, the symptoms can be significantly reduced within the next day or a few days, generally maintain 2-4 weeks to start reducing the dose, the total efficacy is determined according to the withdrawal response. A small number of patients must be treated with small doses (7.5 mg/day) for 1 to 2 years. Mild cases can be treated with NSAIDs such as fenbuterol and fotarol, but they are not as effective as low-dose corticosteroids. There are also some patients who are not sensitive to glucocorticoids and NSAIDs. Rheumatic polymyalgia belongs to the category of paralysis in Chinese medicine. According to Chinese medicine, the disease is caused by the weakness of the body in old age, and the evil of wind, cold, dampness and heat invade the body and block the meridians, so that the qi and blood cannot run normally, resulting in pain, which is called “pain if it does not pass”. By clearing heat and dispersing cold, removing dampness and clearing the channels, expelling the evil and supporting the righteousness, the pain can be significantly reduced. Since people have different body constitution and feel wind, cold, damp and heat evils, TCM treatment mostly classifies them into cold-damp and damp-heat types. For each patient, it is necessary to prescribe the treatment according to the individual condition, and a small amount of western medicine can be added for severe cases. The combination of Chinese and Western medicine is more effective. I would like to remind you that as we age, the functions of the human body’s organs decline, and the body’s resistance is also weakened. Therefore, the middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old should pay special attention to strengthen physical exercise and enhance physical fitness. In particular, they should pay attention to increasing and decreasing clothing with climate change, and should not be overly cold in summer and avoid getting wet, so as not to feel cold and damp and induce diseases. If there is a sudden onset of muscle pain in the limbs, affecting normal life, and the symptoms gradually worsen, should promptly go to the hospital for treatment. If the rheumatoid factor is negative, the anti-“O” is normal, only the blood sedimentation reaction protein is increased, and the application of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs is not effective, we should consider the combination of Chinese and Western medicine treatment methods, do not blindly seek medical advice, so as not to delay the disease.