Both arthritis and osteoarthritis affect the joints, and since it is joint pain that forces the patient to go to the doctor in the hope of relief, he sees no difference between these diseases.Arthritis, arthrosis – why these subtleties?Prescribe a few pills, make the pain go away!
But there is a difference that is often of great importance for further treatment: arthritis and arthrosis differ in the type of disease and the causes of the disease.
To better understand this difference, keep this in mindhow 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.This makes it easier for the bones to rub together.The synovial fluid performs the same task: the bones do not adjoin each other closely; there is a small gap between them that is filled with exactly 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, which consists of dense connective tissue.
In arthritis, the cartilage becomes inflamed;In osteoarthritis, the intra-articular cartilage suffers.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a collective termflammableJoint diseases.In arthritis, the lining of the joints becomes inflamed and the body's connective tissue is affected.Arthritis can be caused by immune disorders, infections, or injuries.This is usually accompanied by pain, swelling, redness and limited mobility of the joints.Arthritis is characterized by “flying” joint pain – affecting one joint, then another.Arthritis can occur at any age, including teenagers (so-called juvenile arthritis).Advanced arthritis can be complicated by wear and tear of the intra-articular cartilage (osteoarthritis).
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a chronic diseasedegenerativea joint disease characterized by progressive wear and tear of cartilage tissue.It can occur in any joint, but the knees, hips, shoulders, and wrists are most commonly affected because these joints are subject to the greatest stress.Osteoarthritis causes pain, stiffness and a deterioration in joint mobility;The pain always affects the same joint or group of joints.Osteoarthritis is typical for older patients, although the first signs of this disease can be found in 30-year-olds.
Therefore, the main difference between arthritis and arthrosis lies in the causes of their occurrence and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is associated with degeneration and wear and tear of cartilage tissue.It is important to note that although these two diseases have different mechanisms of development, they are linked, as inflammatory processes lead to the breakdown of intra-articular cartilage, i.e.h.Osteoarthritis, and the wear and tear of the hyaline cartilage can trigger secondary inflammation in the joint.
Causes of arthritis and osteoarthritis
Reasonsarthritiscan become:
- Rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.).
- Reaction to a causative pathogen (usually bacteria that cause intestinal or sexually transmitted diseases): The body cannot stop in time and even though the infection has already been defeated, the immune system continues to attack and now attacks its own joint tissue.
- Penetration of pathogens into the joint cavity through injuries or through the lymph and blood flow.
- Penetration of capillary blood into the joint cavity due to injury.
- Osteoarthritis (joint inflammation as a complication).
ReasonsOsteoarthritiscan become:
- Excess weight, which increases the load on the leg joints.
- Hard physical work.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Joint instability due to ligament and tendon injuries.
- Age.
- Surgery that affects the joint.
- Innate features of the body.
- Arthritis (hyaline cartilage begins to deteriorate due to inflammatory processes in the joint).
Osteoarthritis is often caused not by one cause, but by a combination of these causes.
Clinical signs of arthritis and osteoarthritis
Joint pain in 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 when moving and when at rest.
- Prolonged morning stiffness (about an hour).
- General poor health: weakness, poor performance, body aches, sweating and sometimes fever.
Osteoarthritis is characterized by:
- Joint pain mainly when moving.
- Difficulty performing normal activities (e.g., climbing stairs is painful if you have knee osteoarthritis).
- Relatively short-lived morning stiffness (up to half an hour).
- Onset of pain: As the patient transitions from rest to activity, the joint bothers them for a while, but this quickly passes.
- Extraneous noises (clicks, creaks, grinding) in the later stages of the disease./li>
- Narrowing of the joint space and/or bone deformation, which can be seen when the joint is palpated (in the later stages of the disease, the deformation is only visible to the eye).
- Swelling of the diseased joint if the patient has suffered from osteoarthritis for a long time and secondary inflammation has developed.
The x-ray helps make a definitive diagnosis.With arthritis, there are no pathological changes in the picture, but with arthrosis, a decrease in the height of the joint space or even bone growth can be seen.
Treatment of arthritis and arthrosis
Arthritis therapydepends on the type of disease and the causes that caused it.This may include:
- antibiotics;
- immunomodulatory drugs;
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs);
- Corticosteroids (if NSAIDs are not effective enough).
If inflammation can be alleviated, physiotherapy is also used to maintain joint function and physiotherapy including exposure to magnetic fields.
Treatment of osteoarthritisis also comprehensive and includes both drug and non-drug methods.
The most commonly used medications are NSAIDs, often in the form of gels and ointments.
Non-drug methods for osteoarthritis include exercise therapy, massage and magnetic field therapy.
A course exposure to magnetic fields with specially selected parameters for osteoarthritis allows:
- relieves pain, secondary inflammation and swelling;
- improve the nutrition of the diseased joint, thereby slowing down the development of the disease;
- longer periods without exacerbations.
Things to remember:
- The difference between arthritis and arthrosis lies in the causes of their occurrence and their manifestations.Arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is associated with degeneration and wear and tear of cartilage tissue.Arthritis and osteoarthritis are related because inflammatory processes can contribute to the breakdown 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 with movement and at rest, persistent morning stiffness, and general poor health of the patient.Osteoarthritis is characterized by joint pain with movement, difficulty performing normal activities, short-term morning stiffness and onset of pain;Swelling of the joint is possible (with the development of secondary inflammation).In addition, in arthritis there are no pathological changes in the X-ray image, whereas in osteoarthritis there is a reduction in the height of the joint space.
- Treatment of arthritis and arthrosis should be comprehensive.Depending on the cause of the arthritis, your doctor may recommend antibiotics, immunomodulatory medications, NSAIDs, or corticosteroids.When the inflammation is relieved, exercise therapy and magnetic field therapy are added.For osteoarthritis, NSAIDs, exercise therapy, massage and magnetic field therapy are used.