During the last decades, there has been an increase in the number of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, as evidenced by statistical data.Pathologies of the spine and joints take the third "honorable" place after diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems.
Pain and stiffness in the joints 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 have no idea what arthritis and arthrosis are.After all, it is much more important that they know how to get rid of the disease.
Various symptoms
Arthrosis can be distinguished from arthritis by the present symptoms, as these diseases appear in different ways.Arthritis is a group of inflammatory joint lesions, in which all articular elements are involved in the pathological process - capsule, synovial membrane, cartilage tissue.
The characteristic signs of arthritis of any etiology are as follows:
- redness, swelling and severe pain when touched;
- the pain does not subside at rest;
- the pain syndrome is throbbing, aching or sharp in nature;
- the joint is hot to the touch;
- stiffness in the morning, which goes away after half an hour - an hour;
- symptoms of general intoxication - fever, malaise, weakness, sweating, etc.
With arthrosis, only the cartilage tissue is affected: due to fluid loss, it becomes loose and thin.As a result, the bones of the joint rub against each other, worsening the pathological process.As the disease progresses, the cartilage tissue breaks down and its individual fragments, the detritus, settle into the epiphyses of the bones.
Unlike arthritis, arthrosis does not cause an inflammatory response over a long period of time.Swelling and redness may occur only in the final stages, when bony protrusions or a fluid-filled joint cavity exerts pressure on surrounding structures.
A characteristic symptom of arthrosis is the initial pain, which appears in the morning or after a long rest.Physical activity during the day, especially strong, is always accompanied by pain, which subsides during rest.For example, arthrosis of the knee joint is felt when you walk, run or sit.However, in the morning these movements help to ease the stiffness.
The difference between arthritis and arthrosis is also the duration of stiffness in the morning - with the destruction of cartilage and bone tissue, it goes away in a few minutes.With arthritis, stiffness can last more than an hour because a large amount of fluid (exudate) accumulates in the joint cavity during the night.However, this difference can be considered conditional, since advanced forms of arthrosis are also characterized by long-term stiffness.
With arthrosis of the foot or fingers, a person has difficulty taking the first steps in the morning when getting out of bed.Due to the shift of the center of gravity to the heel or toe, the gait gradually changes and lameness appears.
The difference between arthritis and arthrosis is not only in the symptoms, but also in the causes.In addition, each of these diseases has its own treatment features.
Various reasons
In more than half of the cases, arthrosis develops after an injury and not necessarily severe.The constant microtraumas that accompany the professional activities of athletes, builders and other representatives of physical labor have a much worse effect on the joints.
Chronic injuries that occur regularly remain, as a rule, unnoticed, and various injuries "accumulate" in the joints.The cartilage gradually becomes thinner and cracks, the joint capsule is torn and microfractures of bone tissue occur.As a result, the bones are deformed and favorable conditions are created for the development of arthrosis.
Also, it is worth noting that car accidents are becoming more frequent, in which people of all ages are injured.Multiple severe fractures with bone fragmentation are often complicated by arthrosis, and sometimes by complete immobility of the joints.
Another cause of arthrosis is considered to be genetic predisposition - hereditary characteristics of metabolism and skeletal structure.But even in this case, there is no guarantee that arthrosis will pass from generation to generation.However, the risk of getting sick still increases.
Since excess body weight creates excessive stress on the entire musculoskeletal system, all joint elements suffer.In a young person, the cartilage tissue can withstand the pressure.And in old age, when the elasticity of cartilage decreases, excess weight can accelerate cartilage wear.
Arthritis can also cause degeneration of cartilage structures, as joint inflammation changes the composition of synovial fluid and cartilage tissue.And since arthritis almost always disrupts local blood circulation, the development of secondary arthrosis is possible.It doesn't matter if the arthritis heals or not.
Prolonged psycho-emotional stress, surprisingly, does not have the best effect on joint health.Due to a sharp release of stress hormones (steroids), the permeability of blood vessels decreases and the blood supply to the joint deteriorates.This leads to a decrease in the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, which is part of the synovial fluid and is responsible for its viscosity.Thanks to hyaluronic acid, bones slide even with significant damage to the joint structure.
It is worth noting that in most cases, one reason for the appearance of arthrosis is not enough.Typically, the mechanism of cartilage degeneration is triggered by a combination of several factors.
Arthritis and arthrosis are fundamentally different in origin.Arthritis can be caused by:
- infection;
- a malfunction of the immune system when leukocytes begin to attack the body's cells;
- injuries and excessive stress on joints - for example, massage therapists often develop arthritis in their hands, the weak point of weightlifters is their knees, damage to the shoulder joint occurs in boxers and tennis players;
- congenital abnormalities of the skeleton;
- pathologies of the nervous and endocrine system, as well as hormonal imbalances during menopause;
- allergic reactions;
- inheritance;
- metabolic disorders;
- intoxication with toxic substances, bites of poisonous insects;
- severe or prolonged hypothermia of the body;
- alcohol abuse;
- Unbalanced diet, lack of vitamins and minerals.
Regardless of the reason that caused the joint damage, the balance between destructive and restorative processes is disturbed.That is, an excessive number of damaged, dead cells that do not have time to be used are created.And the new functional cells are not enough to replace the dead ones.As a result, joints do not work well.
If both diseases affect the same element - the joint, 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.
With arthritis, the synovial membrane becomes inflamed and the quality of the joint fluid changes.There are also damaged cells.The response to their excess is swelling of the capsule itself and nearby tissues.
The difference between arthrosis is that the damaged cells are concentrated in the cartilage, where another protective mechanism is activated - cells that have lost functionality are replaced by connective tissue with the formation of scars.In addition, the new scar tissue is not capable of performing a shock-absorbing function and lacks elasticity.
Since joint dysfunction occurs for various reasons and can be associated with hormonal, metabolic and mechanical factors, understanding these causes is an important aspect.It largely depends on them what treatment arthritis or arthrosis requires.
Differences in treatment
There is a certain treatment regimen for arthritis and arthrosis.Arthritis therapy aims to stop the inflammatory process;the goal of arthrosis treatment is to restore the cartilage tissue.This is another difference between these two diseases.The only similarity is that in both cases sedatives are used.
Self-medication in this case will not bring success and may worsen the situation.Even an experienced specialist will not always determine from external signs how arthritis differs from arthrosis of the knee joint.Only after receiving the results of the research, an accurate diagnosis is made.
For the treatment of arthrosis in the acute period, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used in a short course.In case of severe pain, intra-articular blockades are performed with anesthetics and glucocorticosteroids.Therapy can be supplemented with local agents - ointments and gels.
The main method of treating arthrosis is taking chondroprotectors - drugs based on substances that promote the regeneration of cartilage tissue and prevent the development of the degenerative process.The most effective is the introduction of hyaluronic acid into the joint cavity - with the help of several injections it is possible to restore mobility in the joint and relieve the patient from pain.
If necessary, vasodilators can be prescribed to improve blood circulation and muscle relaxants to relieve muscle spasms.
Physical therapy is of great importance for arthrosis.With the help of exercises you can achieve good results, namely:
- relieving tension and increasing the tone of weakened muscles;
- reduce the intensity of pain;
- increasing joint space and improving joint mobility;
- improves blood circulation and metabolic processes in affected tissues.
Therapeutic tactics for arthritis depend on its origin.For allergic, infectious and gout forms, antihistamines, antibacterial drugs and agents to eliminate excess uric acid are prescribed.In most cases, symptomatic therapy is carried out using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hormones.
Therapy for rheumatoid arthritis includes basic drugs and biologic drugs that contain bacteriophages.
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;
- arthrotomy;
- joint removal;
- cheilectomy;
- arthrodesis;
- arthroscopy.
The presence of destructive changes in the joints may require endoprosthetics or reconstructive arthroplasty.The indication for this type of surgery is a poor prognosis due to the complete destruction of the cartilage tissue.
conclusions
Thus, arthritis can be distinguished from arthrosis by the characteristic signs that accompany these diseases.It is important to know that arthrosis most often affects the hip and knee, and somewhat less often the ankle 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 suffer almost immediately.
However, it should be remembered that it is impossible to diagnose yourself, since similar symptoms can be observed with other pathologies - tendonitis, synovitis, bursitis and a number of others.Therefore, in case of discomfort and pain in the joints, it is necessary to undergo a diagnosis to find out their cause.
The early stages of arthrosis are quite treatable;in advanced cases, restoration of joint function is possible only through surgery.In arthritis, the prognosis depends not only on the type of disease, but also on the quality of the treatment provided.Timely treatment of post-traumatic arthritis leads to complete recovery in most patients.Eliminating the allergen in the allergic form of the disease also guarantees recovery.
The main factor influencing a favorable prognosis is early detection and immediate treatment of the disease.Be healthy!