In the last few decades, as evidenced by statistics, there has been an increase in the number of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue.Pathologies of the spine and joints take the "honorable" third 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 do not know what arthritis and arthrosis are.After all, it is much more important for them to know how to get rid of the disease.
Various symptoms
Arthrosis can be distinguished from arthritis by the existing symptoms, because these diseases manifest themselves in different ways.Arthritis is a group of inflammatory lesions of joints in which all articular elements are involved in the pathological process - capsule, synovial membrane, cartilage tissue.
The characteristic symptoms of arthritis of any etiology are as follows:
- redness, swelling and severe pain when touched;
- pain does not decrease with rest;
- the pain syndrome is pulsating, aching or acute in nature;
- the joint is warm to the touch;
- stiffness in the morning, disappears after half an hour - an hour;
- general signs of intoxication - fever, weakness, weakness, sweating, etc.
With arthrosis, only cartilage tissue is affected: it becomes loose and thin due to fluid loss.As a result, the bones of the joint rub against each other, aggravating the pathological process.As the disease progresses, the cartilage tissue cracks and its individual fragments, detritus, are located in the epiphyses of the bones.
Unlike arthritis, arthrosis does not cause an inflammatory reaction for a long time.Swelling and redness can occur only in the final stage, when bony protrusions or a fluid-filled joint cavity puts pressure on the surrounding structures.
A characteristic symptom of arthrosis is the initial pain that occurs in the morning or after a long rest.Physical activity during the day, especially vigorous ones, is always accompanied by pain, which decreases during rest.For example, arthrosis of the knee joint makes itself felt when walking, running or squatting.But in the morning, these actions help to remove stiffness.
The difference between arthritis and arthrosis is the duration of morning stiffness - it disappears in a few minutes with the destruction of cartilage and bone tissue.Stiffness with arthritis can last more than an hour, because a lot of fluid (exudate) accumulates in the joint space overnight.However, this difference can be considered conditional, because advanced forms of arthrosis are also characterized by long-term stiffness.
A person with arthrosis of the foot or toes has difficulty taking the first morning steps when getting out of bed.As the center of gravity shifts to the heel or toe, the gait gradually changes and lameness occurs.
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 characteristics.
Various reasons
In more than half of cases, arthrosis develops after an injury and is not necessarily serious.Permanent microtraumas accompanying the professional activity of athletes, builders and other representatives of physical labor have a worse effect on the joint.
Chronic injuries that occur regularly, as a rule, remain unnoticed, and various injuries "accumulate" in the joint.The cartilage gradually thins and cracks, the joint capsule is torn, microfractures of the bone tissue occur.As a result, the bones are deformed, favorable conditions for the development of arthrosis are created.
It should also be noted that car accidents involving people of all ages are becoming more and more common.Multiple severe fractures with bone fragmentation are often complicated by arthrosis and sometimes complete immobility of the joints.
Another cause of arthrosis is considered to be genetic predisposition - hereditary characteristics of metabolism and skeletal structure.However, even in this case, there is no guarantee that arthrosis will pass from generation to generation.However, the risk of disease is still increased.
Since excess body weight puts excessive stress on the entire musculoskeletal system, all joint elements suffer.In a young person, the cartilage tissue can withstand the pressure.In old age, when the elasticity of the cartilage decreases, excess weight can accelerate the wear of the cartilage.
Arthritis can also cause degeneration of cartilaginous structures, as inflammation of the joint changes the composition of the synovial fluid and cartilage tissue.Since arthritis almost always disrupts local blood circulation, the development of secondary arthrosis is possible.It doesn't matter if the arthritis is treated or not.
Prolonged psycho-emotional stress, strangely enough, does not have the best effect on joint health.Due to the acute release of stress hormones (steroids), the permeability of blood vessels decreases and the blood supply to the joints 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, the bones slide even if there is significant damage to the joint structure.
It should be noted that in most cases, one reason for the occurrence 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;
- malfunction of the immune system, when leukocytes begin to attack the body's own cells;
- injuries and excessive stress on the joints - for example, massage therapists often develop arthritis in their hands, weightlifters' weak point is their knees, boxers and tennis players have shoulder joint injuries;
- congenital skeletal anomalies;
- pathologies of the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as hormonal imbalances during menopause;
- allergic reactions;
- heredity;
- metabolic disorders;
- intoxication with poisonous substances, bites of poisonous insects;
- severe or long-term hypothermia of the body;
- alcohol abuse;
- unbalanced diet, lack of vitamins and minerals.
Regardless of the cause of joint damage, the balance between destructive and regenerative processes is disturbed.In other words, there are too many damaged, dead cells that do not have time to use.And the new functional cells are not enough to replace the dead ones.As a result, joint malfunctions occur.
What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis if both diseases affect the same element - the joint?And why are the symptoms so different?The answer to these questions depends on 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 the concentration of damaged cells in the cartilage, where another protective mechanism is activated - cells that have lost their functionality are replaced by connective tissue with the formation of scars.Moreover, the new scar tissue is not capable of shock absorption and lacks elasticity.
Because joint dysfunction occurs for a variety of reasons and can be related to hormonal, metabolic, and mechanical factors, it is important to understand these causes.It mainly depends on what kind of treatment the arthritis or arthrosis requires.
Differences in treatment
There is a specific treatment regimen for arthritis and arthrosis.Arthritis therapy is aimed at stopping 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 painkillers are used.
In this case, self-treatment will not bring success and may worsen the situation.Even an experienced specialist will not always determine how arthritis differs from arthrosis of the knee joint by external signs.An accurate diagnosis is made only after receiving the research results.
In the acute period, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for the treatment of arthrosis 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.
Physiotherapy is of great importance for arthrosis.With the help of exercises, you can get good results, namely:
- relieve tension and increase the tone of weakened muscles;
- reduce the intensity of pain;
- increase joint space and improve joint mobility;
- improve blood circulation and metabolic processes in the affected tissues.
Therapeutic tactics for arthritis depend on its origin.For allergic, infectious and gout forms, antihistamines, antibacterial preparations and agents that 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 consists of basic drugs and biological preparations with bacteriophages.
Vitamin complexes containing B vitamins are prescribed for all types of arthritis.
In severe cases, several types of surgical intervention are performed:
- synovectomy;
- arthrotomy;
- joint resection;
- cheilectomy;
- arthrodesis;
- arthroscopy.
The presence of destructive changes in the joint may require endoprosthetic or reconstructive arthroplasty.The indication for this type of operation is a poor prognosis due to the complete destruction of the cartilage tissue.
Results
Thus, arthritis can be distinguished from arthrosis by the characteristic symptoms accompanying these diseases.It is important to know that arthrosis most often affects the hip and knee, less often the ankle and interphalangeal joints.
In most cases, arthritis can be recognized by the symmetrical damage to the joints: if the joint in the right wrist is inflamed, the corresponding joint in the left hand begins to suffer almost immediately.
However, it should be remembered that it is impossible to make a diagnosis yourself, because similar symptoms can be observed with other pathologies - tendonitis, synovitis, bursitis and a number of others.Therefore, when there is discomfort and pain in the joints, it is necessary to undergo diagnostics to find out their cause.
Early stages of arthrosis are quite treatable;in advanced cases, restoration of joint function is possible only through surgery.Prognosis in arthritis 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 ensures recovery.
The main factor affecting a favorable prognosis is early detection and immediate treatment of the disease.Be healthy!