In recent decades, there has been an increase in the number of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, as shown 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 often also lead to serious consequences: deformation and disability.Not surprisingly, patients often have no idea what arthritis and osteoarthritis are.After all, it is much more important for them to know how to get rid of the disease.
Various symptoms
Osteoarthritis 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 joint elements are involved in the pathological process: capsule, synovial membrane, cartilaginous tissue.
Characteristic signs of arthritis of any etiology are the following:
- redness, swelling, and severe pain when touched;
- the pain does not subside at rest;
- the pain syndrome is pulsatile, painful or sharp in nature;
- the joint is hot to the touch;
- stiffness in the morning, which disappears after half an hour or an hour;
- symptoms of general poisoning: fever, general malaise, weakness, sweating, etc.
With osteoarthritis, only 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, aggravating the pathological process.As the disease progresses, the cartilage tissue cracks and its individual fragments, debris, are deposited in the epiphyses of the bones.
Unlike arthritis, osteoarthritis does not cause an inflammatory response over a long period of time.Swelling and redness may occur only in the final stages, when bone growths or a fluid-filled joint cavity put pressure on surrounding structures.
A characteristic symptom of osteoarthritis is initial pain, which appears in the morning or after a long rest.Daytime physical activity, especially intense activity, is always accompanied by pain, which subsides at rest.For example, osteoarthritis of the knee joint manifests itself when walking, running or squatting.However, in the morning these movements help relieve stiffness.
The difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis is also the duration of morning stiffness: with the destruction of cartilage and bone tissue, it disappears within a few minutes.In 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 osteoarthritis are also characterized by prolonged stiffness.
With osteoarthritis of the foot or toes, 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 towards the heel or toe, the gait gradually changes and limping appears.
The difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis 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 cases, osteoarthritis develops after an injury, and not necessarily a serious one.Constant microtraumas accompanying the professional activities of athletes, builders and other representatives of physical work have a much worse effect on the joint.
Chronic injuries that occur regularly go, as a rule, unnoticed and various damages “accumulate” in the joint.The cartilage gradually becomes thinner and cracks, the joint capsule ruptures, and microfractures of the bone tissue occur.As a result, the bones are deformed and favorable conditions are created for the development of osteoarthritis.
It is also worth noting that traffic accidents in which people of all ages are injured are becoming more frequent.Severe multiple fractures with bone fragmentation are often complicated by osteoarthritis and sometimes complete immobility of the joints.
Another cause of osteoarthritis is considered to be genetic predisposition - hereditary characteristics of metabolism and skeletal structure.But even in this case there is no guarantee that osteoarthritis will be transmitted from generation to generation.However, the risk of getting sick continues to increase.
Since excessive body weight places excessive stress on the entire musculoskeletal system, all elements of the joints are affected.In a young person, cartilage tissue can withstand pressure.And in old age, when cartilage elasticity decreases, excess weight can accelerate cartilage wear.
Arthritis can also cause degeneration of cartilage structures, as 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 osteoarthritis is possible.It doesn't matter if 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 slide even with significant damage to the joint structure.
It is worth noting that in most cases, one reason for the appearance of osteoarthritis is not enough.Normally, the mechanism of cartilage degeneration is triggered by a combination of several factors.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis have a fundamentally different 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, masseuses often develop arthritis in their hands, the weak point of weightlifters is the knees, boxers and tennis players suffer from damage to the shoulder joint;
- congenital skeletal anomalies;
- pathologies of the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as hormonal imbalances during menopause;
- allergic reactions;
- inheritance;
- metabolic disorders;
- poisoning with toxic substances, poisonous insect bites;
- severe or prolonged hypothermia of the body;
- alcohol abuse;
- Unbalanced diet, lack of vitamins and minerals.
Regardless of the reason that caused the damage to the joint, the balance between destructive and reparative processes is altered.That is, an excessive amount of dead and damaged cells are created that do not have time to be used.And the new functional cells are not enough to replace the dead ones.As a result, the joint does not function properly.
If both diseases affect the same element: the joint, what is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis?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 synovium becomes inflamed and the quality of joint fluid changes.There are also damaged cells there.The response to its excess is swelling of the capsule itself and nearby tissues.
The difference between osteoarthritis is that damaged cells are concentrated 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.In addition, the new scar tissue is not capable of performing a shock absorption function and has no 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.The treatment that arthritis or osteoarthritis requires largely depends on them.
Differences in treatment
There is a certain treatment regimen for arthritis and osteoarthritis.Arthritis therapy aims to stop the inflammatory process;The goal of osteoarthritis treatment is to restore cartilage tissue.This is another difference between these two diseases.The only similarity is that painkillers are used in both cases.
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 osteoarthritis of the knee joint.Only after receiving the results of the investigation is an accurate diagnosis made.
For the treatment of osteoarthritis in the acute period, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used in a short course.In case of severe pain, intra-articular blocks with anesthetics and glucocorticosteroids are performed.Therapy can be supplemented with local agents: ointments and gels.
The main method of treating osteoarthritis is taking chondroprotectors, medications 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's pain.
If necessary, vasodilators may be prescribed to improve blood circulation and muscle relaxants to relieve muscle spasms.
Physiotherapy is of great importance for osteoarthritis.With the help of exercises you can achieve good results, namely:
- relieve tension and increase the tone of weakened muscles;
- reduce pain intensity;
- increase joint space and improve mobility in the joint;
- improve blood circulation and metabolic processes in the 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 with hormones and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Therapy for rheumatoid arthritis includes basic drugs and biologics containing bacteriophages.
For arthritis of any type, vitamin complexes containing vitamin B are prescribed.
In serious cases, a 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 endoprostheses or reconstructive arthroplasty.The indication for this type of operation is poor prognosis due to the complete destruction of the cartilaginous tissue.
Conclusions
Therefore, arthritis can be distinguished from osteoarthritis by the characteristic signs that accompany these diseases.It is important to know that osteoarthritis most frequently affects the hip and knee, and somewhat less frequently the ankle and interphalangeal joints.
In most cases, arthritis can be recognized by symmetrical damage to the joints: if the joint of the right wrist becomes inflamed, the corresponding joint of 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 in other pathologies: tendinitis, synovitis, bursitis and many others.Therefore, in case of discomfort and pain in the joints, it is necessary to undergo a diagnosis to find out its cause.
The early stages of osteoarthritis are quite treatable;In advanced cases, restoration of joint function is only possible 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 a complete recovery in most patients.Elimination of the allergen in the allergic form of the disease also guarantees recovery.
The main factor that influences a favorable prognosis is early detection and immediate treatment of the disease.Be healthy!