The problem of joint diseases is always important. After forty years, about a third of all people begin to experience pain when moving, and after fifty, more than half of the population begins to experience pain. The gradual destruction of cartilage, ligaments, bones and soft tissues around the joints is called by doctors the general term "osteoarthritis".
How can this condition be prevented? And what treatments will help relieve pain when 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"; with "-from" - disease with a slow progress, chronic processes.
Arthritis is an inflammatory joint lesion that occurs due to a malfunction of the immune system due to infection (for example, sore throat or otitis media), trauma, metabolic disorders, hypothermia, stress or other reasons (even autoimmune).
The first signs appear like this:
- sharp pains in one or more joints (often not only during movement), especially early in the morning;
- enlargement, swelling, edema, redness of the injured joint;
- a noticeable increase in temperature at the site of inflammation.
The inflammatory processes caused by arthritis can affect the whole body. In this case, the patient feels high temperature, chills, loses strength and may suffer inflammation of other organs (eyes, genitourinary system, even heart, lungs, liver and kidneys).
Arthritis has several dozen forms. The most common of them are:
- rheumatism- inflammation of the connective tissue of large and medium joints that appears after infections;
- rheumatoid arthritis– a slow autoimmune process that symmetrically affects several joints at once; causes the appearance of "joints", 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 begins with sharp pains in the joint of the big toe;
- reactive arthritis– occurs against the background of damage to the organism from infections (chlamydia, streptococci, etc. );
- infectious arthritis– starts due to bacterial infection of the joint itself.
What is osteoarthritis?
Unlike arthritis, arthrosis is not associated with inflammatory processes. It provokes poor circulation in the joints, which causes the cartilaginous parts to begin to dry out.
Arthritis is a disease that deforms and destroys joint tissue. With it, the connective layers become dehydrated, thinner and "worn out". The bones begin to touch each other, which causes pain and makes it difficult for a person to move.
Signs of joint arthrosis are:
- after a long period of immobility (for example, night rest), the joint "rises", but then develops quickly when activity resumes;
- operation of the joint is accompanied by strange sounds (clicking, creaking, grinding);
- physical activity causes pain.
What are the differences between arthritis and arthrosis?
Both of these diseases affect the joints. But they are caused by different reasons, proceed differently and can lead to very different consequences. Only the correct diagnosis, based on the difference between arthritis and arthrosis, can prevent irreparable damage to the body.
It takes time for cartilage degeneration to develop sufficiently and bone deformation to begin. Therefore, chronic arthrosis usually appears in old age (after 60 years, less often after 50). The most sensitive to changes are the joints that work constantly under load: the fingers of musicians, the knees of athletes and loaders, the ankles of people who walk a lot or work on their feet, etc.
Conversely, arthritis can also occur in a child. The inflammatory process causes pathology of the synovial membrane, saturated with blood vessels and joint fluid (while with arthrosis it is simply produced in insufficient quantities). Unfortunately, almost every fifth case of disability 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 bone damage and the formation of osteophytes in areas of joint deformation. Although in late stages and advanced forms, the disease can even lead to disability, completely immobilizing a person's limbs.
How are 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 stages of arthrosis (which lasts for years), joint pain appears during physical activity and goes away after rest. It is rarely sharp and strong. Even when the disease develops, when the pain can appear even with small movements and even at rest, it is usually enough to give the body a comfortable position for the pain to subside. With arthritis, the patient is disturbed by sharp attacks of pain with great force, which can be extinguished only with special drugs. A characteristic symptom is pain at rest, especially early in the morning.
- The clicking, grinding, creaking of joints. In the joints affected by arthrosis, the layers of cartilage are destroyed. They stop protecting the heads of the bones from contact with each other. Therefore, when moving, the bones touch and rub, producing harsh and dry sounds. The more the disease progresses, the harder and harder the joints click. Arthritis is usually not associated with such symptoms.
- Deformation of joints and surrounding tissues. The development of arthrosis over time causes a change in the shape of the bones: their heads begin to crumble and wear out, and osteophytes may appear. Sometimes in the acute stages there is swelling and painful pain, but these symptoms are not permanent. But a joint affected by arthritis becomes inflamed and swollen. Forms of swelling and compression occur. The skin becomes red and hot.
- Limited mobility. Osteoarthritis causes stiffness in a specific joint that goes away with movement. In deeper stages, stiffness increases, bending amplitude decreases, eventually leading to immobility. With arthritis, you may feel stiff throughout your body, and trying to move will cause sharp pain.
- Changes in blood composition. 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 it complicates further treatment.
Causes of osteoarthritis
There are several factors that increase the risk of pathological changes in the joints and surrounding tissues: constant overload, imbalance of the immune and hormonal systems, poor physical condition. Therefore, to prevent the disease, you should regularly follow these recommendations:
- Maintain moderate physical activity through simple exercises, walking, swimming, etc. This will help you get rid of excess weight, improve blood circulation, strengthen muscles - and thus relieve stress on your joints.
- Try to eat healthy foods. Fatty foods, red meat and alcohol can be harmful. On the contrary, seafood, fruits and vegetables, as well as dishes containing cartilage and gelatin will be beneficial for the body. It is important to drink plenty of clean water (2-3 liters per day).
- Choose suitable clothes and shoes: comfortable heels, warm enough, that do not restrict movement.
- If possible, avoid stress, interruptions and other "shocks" to the body.
However, if a person has already been diagnosed with arthritis or arthrosis, before performing such simple actions, you should consult a doctor. In some cases, conventional prevention can also cause harm and worsen the condition.
But how are arthritis and arthrosis treated? What is the difference? The causes of these pathologies differ: immune processes, fighting infection in the first case versus cartilage malnutrition in the second case. Therefore, the ways to deal with them will be different. To choose the right course of action, you must first make an accurate diagnosis.
To do this, it is best to undergo radiography and MRI in combination with laboratory tests of blood and urine. After studying the results, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate recommendations.
Treatment of arthritis
If the acute form of the disease is caused by an infection, then it can be cured with antibiotics. But in this case, it is important to choose the medicine correctly: it is necessary to neutralize the pathogenic bacteria before the pathology of the joint becomes irreversible. The course is supplemented with anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting medications.
In the case of chronic arthritis (for example, rheumatoid), treatment should be carried out regularly throughout life. The most used are corticosteroids, cytostatics and modern biological products. These are quite powerful drugs, so to ensure that they do not cause harm to the body, the correct calculation of doses, frequency and duration of use is critical.
For severe pain, your doctor may also prescribe an analgesic course. And accompanying methods of support are necessarily recommended: diet, physical therapy and a course of physical therapy. If the inflammation has spread to other organs, the patient should be referred for additional specialized examinations.
Treatment of arthrosis
Modern methods make it possible to almost completely get rid of the manifestations of the disease if the diagnosis is made at an early stage and the patient's age does not reach forty years. To do this, in addition to the standard monitoring of joint stress and a course of medications (they start regeneration, restore nutrition and hydration of the cartilage), the patient can be prescribed mud wraps, electrophoresis and acoustic therapy (which affects the affected tissue withlow frequency sounds).
In elderly people or in advanced forms, arthrosis cannot be completely cured, although it is possible to achieve a significant improvement in the condition and slow down the destructive processes in the joints. This requires strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations: regular use of drugs (for example, chondroprotectors), maintaining a healthy lifestyle, timely completion of the prescribed procedures, monitoring the joint load.
In arthrosis, the main attention is paid to the restoration of the cartilage layer. If there are accompanying symptoms of inflammatory processes, antibiotics or corticosteroids can be prescribed to relieve the acute phase and move to the main treatment regimen. In some severe cases, surgery and even the implantation of an artificial joint may be required.