The problem of joint diseases is always current. After forty years, about one-third of people begin to feel pain during movement, and after fifty years, more than half of the population begins to feel pain. Doctors call the gradual destruction of the cartilage, ligaments, bones and soft tissues around the joints "osteoarthritis".
How can this condition be prevented? And what treatments help relieve pain if the disease has already developed? To answer these questions, you must first understand the difference between arthritis and arthrosis - the most common joint pathologies.
What is arthritis?
What is the main difference between arthritis and arthrosis can be seen from the names: acute, sudden diseases end with "-itis"; "-from" – diseases with a slow course, chronic processes.
Arthritis is an inflammatory change in the joints that develops as a result of immune system infection (for example, throat or otitis media), trauma, metabolic disorders, hypothermia, stress or other causes (even autoimmune).
The first signs appear like this:
- sharp pain in one or more joints (often not only during movement), especially early in the morning;
- enlargement, swelling, edema, redness of the painful joint;
- a noticeable increase in temperature at the site of inflammation.
Inflammatory processes caused by arthritis can affect the entire body. In this case, the patient feels a high fever, chills, loss of strength and inflammation of other organs (eyes, urinary system, even the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys) may occur.
There are dozens of forms of arthritis. The most common of them are:
- rheumatism– inflammation of the connective tissue of large and medium joints occurring after infections;
- rheumatoid arthritis- an autoimmune slow process that symmetrically affects several joints at the same time; causes the appearance of "knots", pain, loss of mobility; can cause inflammation of many organs;
- gout- caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the blood and salts in the joints; most often it begins with a sharp pain in the joint of the big toe;
- reactive arthritis- occurs against the background of damage caused by infections (chlamydia, streptococci, etc. );
- infectious arthritis– it starts due to a bacterial infection of the joint itself.
What is arthrosis?
Unlike arthritis, arthrosis is not accompanied by inflammatory processes. It causes poor circulation in the joint, as a result of which the cartilaginous parts begin to dry out.
Arthrosis is a disease that deforms and destroys joint tissues. This causes the connective layers to dry out, thin and "wear out". The bones begin to touch each other, which causes pain and makes it difficult for a person to move.
The symptoms of joint arthrosis are as follows:
- after a long period of immobility (for example, resting at night), the joint "freezes" but forms quickly when the activity is resumed;
- the operation of the joint is accompanied by strange sounds (clicking, crunching, grinding);
- physical activity causes pain.
What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis?
Both diseases affect the joints. But they have different causes, act in different ways, and can lead to very different consequences. Only a correct diagnosis based on the difference between arthritis and arthrosis can prevent irreparable damage to the body.
It takes time for the degeneration of the cartilage tissue to develop sufficiently and for the deformation of the bone to begin. Therefore, chronic arthrosis usually manifests itself in old age (after 60 years, less often after 50 years). The joints that are constantly working under load are the most sensitive to changes: the fingers of musicians, the knees of athletes, loaders, the ankles of people who walk a lot or work standing, etc.
On the other hand, arthritis can occur even in children. The inflammatory process causes the pathology of the synovial membrane saturated with blood vessels and synovial fluid (while in the case of arthrosis, this is simply produced in insufficient quantities). Unfortunately, almost every fifth disabled case in the world is caused by various forms and complications of arthritis.
Inflammation can affect not only the joints, but also other tissues with active blood circulation: blood vessels and heart, lungs, abdominal organs, eyes, urinary system, etc. On the other hand, arthrosis is limited by local mechanical damage to bones and the formation of osteophytes at the site of joint deformation. Although in late stages and advanced forms, the disease can lead to disability, completely immobilizing a person's limbs.
How is arthritis and arthrosis manifested?
Let's compare the external manifestations to clearly explain the difference between the symptoms of arthritis and arthrosis.
- Pain. In the initial stage of arthrosis (which lasts for years), joint pain occurs during physical activity and disappears after rest. Rarely sharp and strong. During the development of the disease, when the pain can appear even with small movements and at rest, it is usually enough to put the body in a comfortable position to relieve the pain. In the case of arthritis, the patient is disturbed by sharp pain attacks of high intensity, which can only be extinguished with special drugs. A typical symptom is pain while resting, especially early in the morning.
- Clicking, grinding, crunching of joints. In the joints affected by arthrosis, the layers of cartilage are destroyed. They do not protect the heads of the bones from contact with each other. Therefore, during movement, the bones rub together and rub, making harsh, dry sounds. The longer the disease progresses, the stronger and louder the joints click. Arthritis is usually not accompanied by such symptoms.
- Deformation of the joint and surrounding tissues. Arthrosis, which develops over time, causes the shape of the bones to change: their heads begin to crumble, wear out, and osteophytes may appear. Sometimes swelling and aching pain appear in the acute stages, but these symptoms are not permanent. But the joint affected by arthritis becomes inflamed and swollen. Swollen forms and compactions occur. The skin becomes red and hot.
- Limited mobility. Osteoarthritis causes stiffness in a particular joint that goes away with movement. In deeper sections, the stiffness increases, the amplitude of bending decreases, which eventually leads to immobility. With arthritis, you may feel stiff throughout your body, and attempts to move cause sharp pain.
- Changes in the composition of the blood. Arthrosis is not an inflammatory disease, so it is not reflected in the analysis. Arthritis causes a significant increase in the sedimentation rate of erythrocytes, which indicates an active infectious and inflammatory process.
Thus, the symptoms of arthrosis in the early stages can rarely cause severe anxiety and discomfort. This leads to a careless attitude and late diagnosis of the disease, which means that it complicates further treatment.
Causes of osteoarthritis
Many factors increase the risk of pathological changes in the joints and surrounding tissues: constant overload, imbalance of the immune and hormonal systems, poor physical form. Therefore, in order to prevent diseases, you should regularly follow the following recommendations:
- Maintain moderate physical activity with simple exercises, walking, swimming, etc. This helps to get rid of excess weight, improves blood circulation, strengthens muscles - and thus relieves stress on the joints.
- Try to eat healthy foods. Fatty foods, red meat and alcohol can be harmful. On the contrary, seafood, fruits and vegetables, and foods containing cartilage and gelatin will have a beneficial effect on the body. It is important to drink plenty of clean water (2-3 liters per day).
- Choose the right clothes and shoes: comfortable heels, warm enough, not restricting movement.
- If possible, avoid stress, distractions and other "shocks" to the body.
However, if a person has already been diagnosed with arthritis or arthritis, he should consult a doctor before performing such simple operations. In some cases, even traditional prevention can cause damage and worsen the condition.
But how are arthritis and arthrosis treated? What is the difference? The causes of these pathologies are different: immune processes, the fight against infection in the first case, while in the second case cartilage malnutrition. Therefore, the methods of treatment will be different. To choose the right course of action, you must first make an accurate diagnosis.
For this, it is best to perform an X-ray and MRI in combination with laboratory blood and urine tests. After studying the results, the doctor prescribes appropriate recommendations.
Treatment of arthritis
If the acute form of the disease is caused by an infection, it can be cured with antibiotics. But in this case, it is important to choose the right medicine: the pathogenic bacteria must be neutralized before the pathology of the joint becomes irreversible. The course is supplemented with anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting drugs.
In the case of chronic arthritis (e. g. rheumatic), the treatment must be carried out regularly throughout life. The most commonly used are corticosteroids, cytostatics and modern biological products. These are quite strong drugs, so in order to ensure that they do not harm the body, it is critical to correctly calculate the doses, frequency of use and duration.
In case of severe pain, your doctor can also prescribe a pain-relieving course. And accompanying support methods are absolutely recommended: diet, physical therapy and physical therapy. If the inflammation has spread to other organs, the patient should be referred for further examinations.
Treatment of arthrosis
Modern methods make it possible to get rid of the manifestations of the disease almost completely, if the diagnosis was made at an early stage and the patient's age does not reach forty years. In order to do this, in addition to the usual monitoring of joint stress and medication (they start regeneration, restore nutrition and hydration of the cartilage), mud packs, electrophoresis and acoustic therapy (which affects the affected tissue with low-frequency sounds) can also be prescribed.
In the elderly or in advanced forms, arthrosis cannot be completely cured, although a significant improvement can be achieved and the destructive processes in the joint can be slowed down. For this, it is necessary to strictly follow the doctor's recommendations: regular use of medicines (for example, chondroprotectors), maintaining a healthy lifestyle, performing the prescribed procedures on time, and controlling joint stress.
In arthrosis, the main attention is paid to the restoration of the cartilage layer. If there are simultaneous symptoms of inflammatory processes, antibiotics or corticosteroids may be prescribed to relieve the acute stage and transition to the main treatment regimen. In some serious cases, surgery and even the implantation of an artificial joint may be necessary.