Both arthritis and osteoarthritis affect the joints, and since it is the joint pain that forces the patient to go to the doctor in the hope of getting relief, they do not see the difference between these diseases.Arthritis, osteoarthritis: why these subtleties?Prescribe some pills, let the pain go away!
But there is a difference and it is often very important for further treatment: arthritis and osteoarthritis differ in the nature of the disease and the causes of it.
To better understand this difference, rememberhow the joint works.
In a typical case, the joint is formed by 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 performs the same task: the bones are not very close to each other, there is a small space between them, which is filled precisely with this fluid.The synovial fluid and the place of contact of the bones that form the joint are isolated from other organs and tissues by the joint capsule, made up of dense connective tissue.
In arthritis, it is the cartilage that becomes inflamed;In osteoarthritis, the intra-articular cartilage suffers.
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a collective noun.inflammatoryjoint diseases.In arthritis, the articular 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 joint mobility.Arthritis is characterized by "flying" joint pain: one joint bothers and then the other.Arthritis can appear at any age, even in adolescence (so-called juvenile arthritis).Advanced arthritis can be complicated by wear and tear of intra-articular cartilage (osteoarthritis).
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is chronic.degenerativea joint disease characterized by the 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 they are the joints that face the most stress.Osteoarthritis causes pain, stiffness and impaired joint mobility;The pain always affects the same joint or the same group of joints.Osteoarthritis is typical of elderly patients, although the first signs of this disease can be detected after the age of thirty.
Therefore, the main difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis lies in the causes of its appearance and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is associated with degeneration and wear of cartilage tissue.It is important to note that although these two conditions have different mechanisms of development, they are interrelated, since inflammatory processes can contribute to the degradation of intra-articular cartilage, that is, osteoarthritis, and the wear of hyaline cartilage can trigger secondary inflammation in the joint.
Causes of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Reasonsarthritiscan become:
- Rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.).
- Reaction to a triggering pathogen (normally a bacteria that causes 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, now affecting the joint tissue itself.
- Entry of pathogens into the joint cavity due to injury or through the flow of lymph and blood.
- Capillary blood entry into the joint cavity due to injury.
- Osteoarthritis (inflammation of the joints as a complication).
Reasonsosteoarthritiscan become:
- Excess weight, which increases stress on the joints of the legs.
- Hard physical work.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Joint instability due to ligament and tendon injuries.
- Old age.
- Surgery that affects the joint.
- Congenital features of the body
- Arthritis (hyaline cartilage begins to deteriorate due to inflammatory processes in the joint).
Often, osteoarthritis is not caused by one reason, but by a combination of them.
Clinical signs of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Joint pain with osteoarthritis and arthritis is different.
Acute arthritis is characterized by:
- Significant redness of the skin around the affected joint.
- Severe swelling in the affected area.
- The joint hurts both during movement and at rest.
- Prolonged morning stiffness (about an hour).
- Poor general health: weakness, poor performance, body aches, sweating, and sometimes fever.
Osteoarthritis is characterized by:
- Joint pain mainly during movement.
- Difficulty performing normal activities (for example, with knee osteoarthritis, it is painful to climb stairs).
- Morning stiffness of relatively short duration (up to half an hour).
- Initial pain: When the patient goes from rest to activity, the joint bothers him for a while, but it passes quickly.
- Strange sounds (clicks, creaks, crunches) in the later stages of the disease./li>
- Narrowing of the joint space and/or bone deformation, which can be noticed when palpating the joint (in the later stages of the disease, the deformation is simply visible to the naked eye).
- Swelling of the diseased joint, if the patient has suffered from osteoarthritis for a long time and has developed secondary inflammation.
The x-ray will help definitively determine the diagnosis.With arthritis, there will be no pathological changes in the picture, but with osteoarthritis, a decrease in the height of the joint space or even bone growths may be seen.
Treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Arthritis therapyIt will vary depending on the type of disease and the causes that caused it.This may include:
- antibiotics;
- immunomodulatory drugs;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs);
- corticosteroids (if NSAIDs are not effective enough).
When inflammation can be relieved, physiotherapy is also used to maintain joint function and physiotherapy, incl.exposure to magnetic fields.
Osteoarthritis treatmentIt is also comprehensive and includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods.
The most commonly used medications are NSAIDs, often in the form of gels and ointments.
Among the non-medicinal methods for osteoarthritis, physiotherapy, massage and magnetotherapy are recommended.
Course exposure to magnetic fields with parameters specially selected for osteoarthritis allows:
- relieve pain, secondary inflammation and swelling;
- improve the nutrition of the diseased joint and thus slow down the development of the disease;
- prolong periods without exacerbations.
Things to remember:
- The difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis lies in the causes of its appearance and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is associated with degeneration and wear of cartilage tissue.Arthritis and osteoarthritis are interrelated, since inflammatory processes can contribute to the degradation of intra-articular cartilage and wear of hyaline cartilage can trigger 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 morning stiffness, and poor general health of the patient.Osteoarthritis is characterized by joint pain during movement, difficulty performing normal activities, short-lived morning stiffness, and initial pain;The joint may swell (with the development of secondary inflammation).Also, with arthritis there will be no pathological changes on the X-ray image, but with osteoarthritis there will be a decrease in the height of the joint space.
- The treatment of both arthritis and osteoarthritis must be comprehensive.Depending on the cause of your arthritis, your doctor may recommend antibiotics, immunomodulatory medications, NSAIDs, or corticosteroids.When inflammation is relieved, exercises and magnetic therapy are added.NSAIDs, physiotherapy, massages and magnetotherapy are used for osteoarthritis.