Fight Rheumatic Disease With Dorothy LaCombe At Your Side Rheumatic diseases are characterized by inflammation of the body’s connective tissues and structures. Joints, tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles can all be affected, making everyday life a struggle; movement becomes hindered as your every action carries aches and pains. Life becomes punctuated by doctor’s appointments in sterile environments as you run through a myriad of treatments that never seem to make much progress.