Both arthritis and osteoarthritis affect the joints and since it is the joint pain that forces the patient to go to the doctor in the hope of getting relief, he does not see the difference between these diseases.Arthritis, arthrosis: why these subtleties?Prescribe some pills and let the pain go away!
But there is a difference and it is often very important for further treatment: arthritis and arthrosis differ in the nature of the disease and the causes of the disease.
To better understand this difference, rememberhow the joint works.
In a typical case, the joint consists of two bones, the heads of which are covered with a special sliding material - hyaline cartilage.It makes it easier for bones to rub against each other.Synovial fluid performs the same task: the bones are not adjacent to each other, there is a small space between them, which is filled precisely by this fluid.The synovial fluid and the contact point of the bones that make up the joint are isolated from other organs and tissues by the joint capsule, made up of dense connective tissue.
In arthritis it is the cartilage that becomes inflamed;In arthrosis the intra-articular cartilage suffers.
What is arthritis
Arthritis is a collective nouninflammatoryjoint diseases.In arthritis, the joint lining of the joint becomes inflamed and the connective tissues of the body are affected.Arthritis can be caused by immune disorders, infections, or injuries.As a rule, it is accompanied by pain, swelling, redness and limited joint mobility.Arthritis is characterized by "flying" joint pain: it bothers one joint, then another.Arthritis can develop at any age, even in adolescents (so-called juvenile arthritis).Advanced arthritis can be complicated by wear of the intra-articular cartilage (arthrosis).
What is osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is chronicdegenerativea joint disease characterized by progressive wear of the cartilaginous tissue.It can occur in any joint, but the knees, hips, shoulders and wrists are most commonly affected as they are the most stressed joints.Osteoarthritis causes pain, stiffness and deterioration of joint mobility;the pain always affects the same joint or group of joints.Osteoarthritis is typical of elderly patients, although the first signs of this disease can be found in thirty-year-olds.
Therefore, the main difference between arthritis and arthrosis lies in the causes of their onset and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is associated with the degeneration and wear of cartilage tissue.It is important to note that, although these two conditions have different developmental mechanisms, they are related, since inflammatory processes can contribute to the degradation of intra-articular cartilage, i.e. osteoarthritis, and wear and tear of hyaline cartilage can trigger secondary inflammation in the joint.
Causes of arthritis and arthrosis
Reasonsarthritiscan become:
- Rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.).
- Reaction to a triggering pathogen (usually bacteria that cause intestinal or sexually transmitted diseases): the body cannot stop in time, and although the infection has already been defeated, the immune system continues to attack, now affecting its own joint tissue.
- Entry of pathogens into the joint cavity due to injury or through the flow of lymph and blood.
- Entry of capillary blood into the joint cavity due to injury.
- Osteoarthritis (joint inflammation as a complication).
Reasonsarthrosiscan become:
- Excess weight, which increases stress on the leg joints.
- Hard physical work.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Joint instability due to ligament and tendon injuries.
- Old age.
- Surgery affecting the joint.
- Congenital characteristics of the body.
- Arthritis (hyaline cartilage begins to deteriorate due to inflammatory processes in the joint).
Often osteoarthritis is caused not by one reason, but by a combination of them.
Clinical signs of arthritis and arthrosis
Joint pain with osteoarthritis and arthritis is different.
Acute arthritis is characterized by:
- Significant redness of the skin around the affected joint.
- Severe swelling in the affected area.
- The joint hurts both during movement and at rest.
- Prolonged morning stiffness (about an hour).
- Poor general health: weakness, poor performance, muscle pain, sweating and sometimes fever.
Osteoarthritis is characterized by:
- Joint pain especially during movement.
- Difficulty carrying out normal activities (for example, in case of knee osteoarthritis, it is painful to climb stairs).
- Morning stiffness of relatively short duration (up to half an hour).
- Initial pain: When the patient goes from rest to activity, the joint bothers him for some time, but this passes quickly.
- Extraneous sounds (clicks, creaks, creaks) in the later stages of the disease./li>
- Narrowing of the joint space and/or bone deformation, detectable by palpation of the joint (in the later stages of the disease the deformation is simply visible to the eye).
- Swelling of the diseased joint, if the patient has been suffering from arthrosis for a long time and has developed secondary inflammation.
The x-ray will help definitively determine the diagnosis.With arthritis there will be no pathological changes in the image, but with arthrosis you can see a decrease in the height of the joint space or even bone growth.
Treatment of arthritis and arthrosis
Arthritis therapyit will vary depending on the type of disease and the causes that caused it.This can include:
- antibiotics;
- immunomodulatory drugs;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs);
- corticosteroids (if NSAIDs are not sufficiently effective).
When it is possible to relieve inflammation, physiotherapy is also used to maintain joint function and physiotherapy, incl.exposure to magnetic fields.
Treatment of osteoarthritisit is also comprehensive and includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods.
The most commonly used drugs are NSAIDs, often in the form of gels and ointments.
Among non-medicinal methods for arthrosis, physical therapy, massage and magnetic therapy are recommended.
Exposure to magnetic fields with parameters specially selected for arthrosis allows:
- relieve pain, secondary inflammation and swelling;
- improve the nutrition of the diseased joint and thereby slow the development of the disease;
- prolong periods without flare-ups.
Things to remember:
- The difference between arthritis and arthrosis lies in the causes of their onset and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is associated with the degeneration and wear of cartilage tissue.Arthritis and osteoarthritis are related, as inflammatory processes can contribute to the degradation of intra-articular cartilage, and wear and tear of hyaline cartilage can trigger secondary inflammation in the joint.
- Acute arthritis is characterized by swelling and redness of the skin around the affected joint, pain both during movement and at rest, prolonged morning stiffness and poor general health of the patient.Osteoarthritis is characterized by joint pain during movement, difficulty carrying out normal activities, short-term morning stiffness and initial pain;swelling of the joint is possible (with the development of secondary inflammation).Also, with arthritis there will be no pathological changes on the x-ray image, but with arthrosis there will be a decrease in the height of the joint space.
- Treatment of both arthritis and osteoarthritis should be comprehensive.Depending on the cause of the arthritis, your doctor may recommend antibiotics, immunomodulatory drugs, NSAIDs, or corticosteroids.When the inflammation is relieved, exercise and magnetic therapy are added.For arthrosis, NSAIDs, physical therapy, massage and magnetic therapy are used.