Over the past few 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 occupy an “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 - deformation and disability.It is not surprising that patients often have no idea 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 symptoms present, since these diseases manifest themselves in different ways.Arthritis is a group of inflammatory lesions of the joints, in which all articular elements are involved in the pathological process - capsule, synovial membrane, cartilage tissue.
Characteristic signs of arthritis of any etiology are the following:
- redness, swelling and severe pain when touched;
- pain does not subside at rest;
- the pain syndrome is pulsating, 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 cartilage tissue is affected: due to loss of fluid, it becomes loose and thin.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, settle on the epiphyses of the bones.
Unlike arthritis, arthrosis does not cause an inflammatory response over a long period of time.Swelling and redness can occur only in the final stages, when bony outgrowths or a fluid-filled joint cavity puts pressure on surrounding structures.
A characteristic symptom of arthrosis is starting pain, which occurs in the morning or after a long rest.Daytime physical activity, especially strong ones, is always accompanied by pain, which subsides at rest.For example, arthrosis of the knee joint makes itself felt when walking, running, or squatting.However, in the morning these movements help relieve stiffness.
The difference between arthritis and arthrosis is also the duration of morning stiffness - with the destruction of cartilage and bone tissue, it goes away within a few minutes.With arthritis, stiffness can last more than an hour because a large amount of fluid (exudate) accumulates in the joint cavity overnight.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 toes, a person has difficulty taking the first morning steps 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 a severe one.The constant microtraumas that accompany the professional activities of athletes, builders and other representatives of physical labor have a much worse effect on the joint.
Chronic injuries that occur regularly remain, as a rule, unnoticed, and various damage “accumulates” in the joint.The cartilage gradually becomes thinner and cracks, the joint capsule is torn, and microfractures of bone tissue occur.As a result, the bones become deformed, and favorable conditions are created for the development of arthrosis.
It is also 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 be passed on from generation to generation.However, the risk of getting sick still increases.
Since excessive body weight creates excess stress on the entire musculoskeletal system, all joint elements suffer.In a young person, cartilage tissue can withstand pressure.And in old age, when the elasticity of cartilage decreases, excess weight can accelerate the wear of cartilage.
Arthritis can also cause degeneration of cartilaginous structures, since inflammation of the joint changes the composition of the synovial fluid and cartilage tissue.And since arthritis almost always disrupts local blood circulation, the development of secondary arthrosis is possible.It does not matter whether arthritis is cured or not.
Prolonged psycho-emotional stress, oddly enough, 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 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, bones glide even with significant damage to the joint structure.
It is worth noting 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;
- a 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, damage to the shoulder joint occurs in boxers and tennis players;
- congenital skeletal anomalies;
- pathologies of the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as hormonal imbalances during menopause;
- allergic reactions;
- heredity;
- 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 what reason caused the damage to the joint, the balance between the destructive and restorative processes is disrupted.That is, an excessive number of damaged, dead cells are created that do not have time to be utilized.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 joint, then what is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis?And why are the symptoms so different?The answer to these questions lies in what 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 there.The response to their excess is swelling of the capsule itself and nearby tissues.
The difference between arthrosis is that damaged cells are concentrated in the cartilage, where another protective mechanism is triggered - cells that have lost functionality are replaced by connective tissue with the formation of scars.Moreover, the new scar tissue is not capable of performing a shock-absorbing function and does not have 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 is aimed at stopping the inflammatory process; the goal of treating arthrosis is to restore cartilage tissue.This is another difference between these two diseases.The only similarity is that in both cases painkillers are used.
Self-medication in this case will not bring success and may worsen the situation.Even an experienced specialist will not always determine by external signs how arthritis differs from arthrosis of the knee joint.Only after receiving the research results is an accurate diagnosis 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 with anesthetic and glucocorticosteroids are performed.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 inhibit 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 may 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:
- relieve tension and increase the tone of weakened muscles;
- reduce the intensity of pain;
- increase the joint space and improve mobility in the joint;
- improve blood circulation and metabolic processes in affected tissues.
Therapeutic tactics for arthritis depend on its origin.For allergic, infectious and gouty 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 biological drugs containing 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 resection;
- cheilectomy;
- arthrodesis;
- arthroscopy.
The presence of destructive changes in the joint may require endoprosthetics or reconstructive arthroplasty.The indication for this type of operation is a poor prognosis due to the complete destruction of 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 frequently the ankle and interphalangeal joints.
In most cases, arthritis can be recognized by the symmetrical damage to the joints: if the joint on the right wrist becomes inflamed, then the corresponding joint on the left hand begins to bother 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 diagnostics 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 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!