From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrheumatismrheu‧ma‧tis‧m /ˈruːmətɪzəm/ noun [uncountable] MIa disease that makes your joints or muscles painful and stiff → arthritis
Examples from the Corpus
rheumatism• Arthritis and rheumatism are prominent crippling diseases.• Albin says it was used indiscriminately as a panacea for ailments such as rheumatism, sprains, kidney disorders, and intestinal conditions.• A few were starting to tell the others that the mud cured rheumatism and gout.• On the bathroom shelf, Alida's special salts for rheumatism were prominently displayed.• Anyone who suffers from rheumatism, arthritis, backache, cramp or sore joints would feel immediate relief.• A holiday on Exmoor in the course of that summer was dogged by her rheumatism.• And there's a bit of rheumatism in my right shoulder and arm which is something of a nuisance. 