Over the past few decades, the number of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue has increased, as evidenced by statistics.Pathologies of the spine and joints occupy the "honorary" third place after diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems.
Pain and stiffness not only significantly reduce the quality of life, but also often lead to serious consequences - deformity and disability.It is not surprising that patients often do not know what arthritis and arthrosis are.After all, it is much more important for them to know how to get rid of this disease.
Symptoms vary
Arthritis can be distinguished from arthritis by the symptoms present, as these diseases manifest in different ways.Arthritis is a group of inflammatory lesions in the joints, in which all joint components participate in the pathological process - joint capsule, synovial membrane, cartilage tissue.
Typical signs of arthritis due to any cause are as follows:
- redness, swelling, and severe pain when touched;
- pain that does not subside with rest;
- pain syndrome of fluctuating, aching or sharp nature;
- joints are hot to the touch;
- stiffness in the morning, goes away after half an hour - an hour;
- general symptoms of intoxication – fever, malaise, weakness, sweating, etc.
With arthritis, only cartilage tissue is affected: due to loss of fluid, it becomes loose and thin.As a result, the bones and joints rub against each other, exacerbating the pathological process.As the disease progresses, the cartilage tissue cracks and its individual debris settles at the ends of the bones.
Unlike arthritis, arthritis does not cause a long-term inflammatory response.Swelling and redness can only occur in the final stages, when the bone grows or the joint cavity fills with fluid that puts pressure on surrounding structures.
A characteristic symptom of arthritis is pain that begins in the morning or after a long rest.Daytime physical activity, especially vigorous activity, is always accompanied by pain and is relieved by rest.For example, knee arthritis occurs when walking, running or squatting.However, in the morning these movements help reduce joint stiffness.
The difference between arthritis and joint disease lies in the duration of morning stiffness - with the destruction of cartilage and bone tissue, this condition disappears within a few minutes.With arthritis, joint stiffness can last more than an hour because large amounts of fluid (exudates) accumulate in the joint cavity overnight.However, this difference can be considered conditional, since progressive forms of arthritis are also characterized by long-term joint stiffness.
With arthritis of the feet or toes, a person has difficulty taking the first steps in the morning when getting out of bed.Because the center of gravity shifts to the heel or toes, the gait gradually changes and lameness appears.
The difference between arthritis and arthrosis is not only in the symptoms but also in the cause.In addition, each of these diseases has its own treatment characteristics.
many different reasons
In more than half of cases, arthritis develops after an injury and is not necessarily serious.Constant microtraumas accompanying the professional activities of athletes, builders and other representatives of physical labor have a much worse effect on the joints.
As a rule, chronic injuries often go unnoticed, and various damages “accumulate” in the joints.The cartilage gradually becomes thinner and cracks, the joint capsule tears and microfractures occur.As a result, bones become deformed, creating favorable conditions for arthritis to develop.
It is worth noting that car accidents are becoming more and more frequent, in which people of all ages are injured.Many severe fractures with associated bone fragmentation are often complicated by arthritis and sometimes by complete immobility of the joints.
Another cause of joint disease is considered genetic factors - inherited characteristics of metabolism and bone structure.But even in this case, there is no guarantee that arthritis will be transmitted from one generation to the next.However, the risk of disease still increases.
Because excessive body weight places excessive stress on the entire musculoskeletal system, all parts of the joints are affected.In young people, cartilage tissue can withstand pressure.And in old age, when cartilage elasticity decreases, excess weight can accelerate cartilage wear.
Arthritis can also cause cartilage degeneration, because arthritis changes the composition of joint fluid and cartilage tissue.And because arthritis almost always disrupts local blood circulation, secondary arthritis can develop.It doesn't matter whether arthritis can be cured or not.
Strangely enough, prolonged psycho-emotional stress does not have the best effect on joint health.Due to the strong release of stress hormones (steroids), the permeability of blood vessels decreases and blood supply to the joints is impaired.This leads to a decrease in the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, which is part of the synovial fluid and responsible for its viscosity.Thanks to hyaluronic acid, bones glide smoothly even when the joint structure is significantly damaged.
It is worth noting that in most cases, one reason for arthritis is not enough.Usually, the cartilage degeneration mechanism is triggered by a combination of many factors.
Arthritis and arthrosis have fundamentally different origins.Arthritis can be caused by:
- infection;
- malfunction of the immune system when white blood cells begin to attack the body's cells;
- injuries and excessive stress on the joints - for example, massage therapists often suffer from arthritis in the hands, the weak point of weightlifters is the knees, damage to the shoulder joints occurs in boxers and tennis players;
- congenital bone defects;
- pathologies of the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as hormonal imbalance during menopause;
- allergic reaction;
- hereditary;
- metabolic disorders;
- poison poisoning, poisonous insect bites;
- severe or prolonged hypothermia of the body;
- alcohol abuse;
- Unbalanced diet, lack of vitamins and minerals.
Regardless of the cause of joint damage, the balance between destruction and repair is disrupted.That is, too many dead, damaged cells are created and there is no time to use them.And new functional cells are not enough to replace dead ones.As a result, the joint malfunctions.
If both diseases affect the same element - the joints, then what is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis?And why are the symptoms so different?The answer to these questions lies in which structures are affected by the pathological process.
When you have arthritis, the synovial membrane becomes inflamed and the quality of synovial fluid changes.There are also damaged cells there.The reaction to their excess is swelling of the cyst itself and neighboring tissues.
The difference between joint diseases is that damaged cells are concentrated in cartilage, which activates another protective mechanism - cells that have lost their function are replaced by connective tissue and scars form.Furthermore, the new scar tissue is not able to perform the function of shock absorption and is not elastic.
Because joint dysfunction occurs for a variety of reasons and may be related to hormonal, metabolic, and mechanical factors, understanding these causes is an important aspect.Much depends on them what treatment for arthritis or joint disease requires.
Differences in treatment
There is a certain treatment regimen for arthritis and arthrosis.Treatment of arthritis is aimed at stopping the inflammatory process;The goal of treating joint disease is to restore cartilage tissue.This is another difference between these two diseases.The only similarity is that both cases used painkillers.
Self-medication in this case will not bring success and can worsen the situation.Even an experienced specialist cannot always determine by external signs how arthrosis differs from arthrosis of the knee joint.Only after receiving the results of the research can an accurate diagnosis be made.
To treat joint disease in the acute stage, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for a short period of time.In case of severe pain, intra-articular blockade with anesthetics and glucocorticosteroids is performed.Therapy can be supplemented with topical agents - ointments and gels.
The main method of treating joint diseases is the use of chondroprotectors - drugs based on substances that promote the regeneration of cartilage tissue and inhibit the development of degenerative processes.The most effective is to introduce hyaluronic acid into the joint cavity - with the help of several injections, you can restore joint mobility and relieve the patient's pain.
If necessary, vasodilators may be prescribed to improve blood circulation and muscle relaxants to reduce muscle spasms.
Physical therapy is of great importance for arthritis.With the help of exercises, you can achieve good results, namely:
- reduces tension and increases the tone of weakened muscles;
- reduce pain intensity;
- increases joint space and improves joint mobility;
- improves blood circulation and metabolic processes in affected tissues.
The treatment strategy for arthritis depends on its origin.For forms of allergies, infections and gout, antihistamines, antibacterial drugs and drugs that remove excess uric acid are prescribed.In most cases, symptomatic therapy is performed using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hormones.
Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis includes basic medications and biologics that contain bacteria.
For arthritis of any type, vitamin complexes containing B vitamins are prescribed.
In severe cases, surgical intervention is performed, which can be of several types:
- synovectomy;
- joint surgery;
- joint resection;
- palatectomy;
- arthritis;
- arthroscopy.
The presence of destructive changes in the joint may require arthroscopy or reconstructive surgery.The indication for this type of surgery is a poor prognosis due to complete destruction of cartilage tissue.
Conclude
Therefore, it is possible to distinguish arthrosis from arthrosis by the characteristic signs that accompany these diseases.It is important to know that arthropathy commonly affects the hips and knees, and less commonly the ankles and interphalangeal joints.
In most cases, arthritis can be recognized by symmetrical damage to the joints: if the joint in the right wrist becomes inflamed, then the corresponding joint in the left hand begins to feel uncomfortable almost immediately.
However, it should be remembered that self-diagnosis is impossible, since similar symptoms can be observed in other pathologies - tendinitis, synovitis, bursitis and some others.Therefore, in case of joint discomfort and pain, it is necessary to carry out diagnostics to find the cause.
The early stages of arthritis are treatable;In severe cases, joint function can only be restored through surgery.In arthritis, the prognosis depends not only on the type of disease but also on the quality of treatment provided.Prompt treatment of post-traumatic arthritis will help most patients make a full recovery.Elimination of the allergen in the allergic form of the disease also ensures recovery.
The main factor influencing a favorable prognosis is early detection and immediate treatment of the disease.Be healthy!