Boas's painful points are skin lesions in the area of the buttocks and popliteal fossa. This disease is characterized by the appearance of painful subcutaneous nodules that resemble healed skin ulcers. It occurs in middle-aged people, predominantly female. “Bola” is a word of Polish origin, so the second name of the disease sounds like “ballast nodes.”
Previously, sailors who worked as boatswains - the main ones in the fleet, responsible for establishing order on board a sea vessel - could tell about such a disease. This is where the unusual name came from.
The disease is provoked by blood stagnation, long periods of standing or sedentary work. The disease can also be caused by various inflammatory processes, including herpes, hepatitis and varicose veins.