Both arthritis and arthrosis affect the joints, and since it is the joint pain that makes the patient go to the doctor in the hope of relief, he does not see the difference between these diseases.Arthritis, arthrosis - why these details?Prescribe some pills, 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 does the node work.
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 the bones to rub against each other.The synovial fluid works for the same task: the bones do not adhere closely to each other, there is a small gap between them, which is filled with this fluid.The synovial fluid and the point of contact 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, 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 body's connective tissues are affected.Arthritis can be caused by immune disorders, infections or injuries.As a rule, it is accompanied by pain, swelling, redness and limited movement of the joints.Arthritis is characterized by "flying" joint pain - disturbing one joint, then another.Arthritis can develop at any age, even in teenagers (so-called juvenile arthritis).Advanced arthritis can be complicated by wear and tear of the intra-articular cartilage (arthrosis).
What is arthrosis?
Arthrosis is chronicdegenerativea 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 as these are the joints that face the most stress.Arthrosis causes pain, stiffness and deterioration of joint mobility;the pain always affects the same joint or group of joints.Arthrosis is typical for elderly patients, although the first signs of this disease can be found in the thirties.
Thus, the main difference between arthritis and arthrosis lies in the causes of their occurrence and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with joint inflammation, while arthrosis is associated with degeneration and wear and tear of cartilage tissue.It is important to note that although these two conditions have different mechanisms of development, they are interrelated, as inflammatory processes can contribute to the degradation of intra-articular cartilage, i.e., arthrosis, and the wear and tear of hyaline cartilage can cause secondary inflammation in the joint.
Causes of arthritis and arthrosis
reasonarthritiscan be done:
- Rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.).
- The reaction to an inciting 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, already affecting its own joint tissue.
- The 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.
- Arthrosis (joint inflammation as a complication).
reasonarthrosiscan be done:
- Excess weight, which increases the stress on the joints of the legs.
- Heavy physical work.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Joint instability due to ligament and tendon injuries.
- old age.
- Surgery affecting the joint.
- Innate characteristics of the body.
- Arthritis (hyaline cartilage begins to deteriorate due to inflammatory processes in the joint).
Often arthrosis is not caused by one reason, but by a combination of them.
Clinical signs of arthritis and arthrosis
Joint pains with arthrosis and arthritis differ.
Acute arthritis is characterized by:
- Prominent redness of the skin around the affected joint.
- Severe swelling in the affected area.
- The joint hurts both during movement and at rest.
- Prolonged stiffness in the morning (about an hour).
- Poor general health: weakness, low performance, body aches, sweating and sometimes fever.
Arthrosis is characterized by:
- Joint pain mainly during movement.
- Difficulty in performing normal activities (for example, with knee arthrosis, climbing stairs is painful).
- Relatively short-lived stiffness in the morning (up to half an hour).
- Initial pain: when the patient goes from rest to activity, the joint bothers him for some time, but it passes quickly.
- Extraneous sounds (clicks, crackles, crackles) in the later stages of the disease./li>
- Narrowing of the joint space and/or bony deformation, which can be observed during 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.
Radiography will help in the final determination of 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 therapywill vary depending on the type of disease and the causes that caused it.This may include:
- antibiotics;
- immunomodulating drugs;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs);
- corticosteroids (if NSAIDs are not effective enough).
When inflammation can be alleviated, physical therapy is also used to maintain joint function and physiotherapy, incl.exposure to magnetic fields.
Treatment of arthrosisit is also comprehensive and includes drug and non-drug methods.
The most commonly used medications are NSAIDs, often in the form of gels and ointments.
Among the non-medicinal methods of arthrosis, exercise therapy, massage and magnetic therapy are recommended.
Exposing the course to magnetic fields with parameters specially selected for arthrosis allows:
- relief of pain, secondary inflammation and swelling;
- improve the nutrition of the diseased joint and thus slow down the development of the disease;
- prolong periods without irritations.
Things to remember:
- The difference between arthritis and arthrosis lies in the causes of their appearance and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with joint inflammation, while arthrosis is associated with degeneration and wear and tear of cartilage tissue.Arthritis and arthrosis are interrelated, as inflammatory processes can contribute to the degradation of intra-articular cartilage and wear and tear of hyaline cartilage can cause 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 stiffness in the morning and poor general health of the patient.Arthritis is characterized by joint pain during movement, difficulty in performing normal activities, short-term stiffness in the morning and initial pain;joint swelling is possible (with the development of secondary inflammation).In addition, with arthritis there will be no pathological changes in the X-ray image, but with arthrosis there will be a decrease 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 drugs, NSAIDs, or corticosteroids.When the inflammation is relieved, exercise therapy and magnetic therapy are added.For arthrosis, NSAIDs, exercise therapy, massage and magnetic therapy are used.