Arthritis and osteoarthritis affect the joints, and since it is the joint pain that forces the patient to visit the doctor in the hope of obtaining relief, he does not see the difference between these diseases.Arthritis, osteoarthritis, why these subtleties?Prescribe pills, let the pain go away!
But there is a difference and it is often very important for the further treatment: arthritis and osteoarthritis differ in the nature of the disease and the causes of the disease.
To better understand this difference, rememberhow the joint works.
In a typical case, the joint consists of two bones, the heads of which are covered with a special sliding material - hyaline cartilage.This makes it easier for the bones to rub against each other.Synovial fluid performs the same task: the bones are not tightly adjacent to each other, there is a small space between them, which is precisely filled with this fluid.The synovial fluid and the place of contact of the bones that make up the joint are isolated from other organs and tissues by the joint capsule, made 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 nouninflammatoryjoint diseases.In arthritis, the joint lining of the joint becomes inflamed and the connective tissues of the body are affected.Arthritis can be caused by immune disorders, infections or injuries.Typically, it is accompanied by pain, swelling, redness and limited joint mobility.Arthritis is characterized by “flying” joint pain: it bothers one joint, then another.Arthritis can develop at any age, even in adolescents (this is called juvenile arthritis).Advanced arthritis can be complicated by wear of intra-articular cartilage (osteoarthritis).
What is osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a chronic diseasedegenerativea joint disease characterized by 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 these are the joints that are put under the most strain.Osteoarthritis causes pain, stiffness and deterioration of joint mobility;the pain always affects the same joint or group of joints.Osteoarthritis is typical for elderly patients, although the first signs of this disease can be observed in people in their thirties.
So, the main difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis lies in the causes of their occurrence and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is associated with degeneration and wear and tear 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 breakdown of intra-articular cartilage, i.e. osteoarthritis, and wear of hyaline cartilage can trigger secondary inflammation of the joint.
Causes of arthritis and osteoarthritis
Reasonsarthritiscan become:
- Rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.).
- Reaction to a triggering pathogen (usually bacteria responsible for 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 its own joint tissues.
- Entry of pathogens into the joint cavity due to injury or through lymphatic and blood flow.
- Entry of capillary blood into the joint cavity due to injury.
- Osteoarthritis (joint inflammation as a complication).
Reasonsosteoarthritiscan become:
- Excess weight, which increases strain on the leg joints.
- Heavy physical work.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Joint instability due to injuries to ligaments and tendons.
- Old age.
- Surgery affecting 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 a single reason, but by a combination of several of them.
Clinical signs of arthritis and osteoarthritis
Joint pain with osteoarthritis and arthritis differ.
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).
- General poor health: weakness, poor performance, 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).
- Relatively short-lived morning stiffness (up to half an hour).
- Initial pain: when the patient goes from rest to activity, the joint bothers him for a while, but this passes quickly.
- Extraneous sounds (clicks, crackles, crackles) in later stages of the disease./li>
- Narrowing of the joint space and/or bone deformation, which can be noted when palpating the joint (in 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 definitively establish the diagnosis.With arthritis, there will be no pathological changes in the picture, but with osteoarthritis, you may notice a decrease in the height of the joint space or even bony growths.
Treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis
Arthritis therapywill vary depending on the type of illness 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.
Treatment of osteoarthritisis also comprehensive and includes both drug and non-drug methods.
The most commonly used medications are NSAIDs, often in the form of gels and ointments.
Among non-medicinal methods for osteoarthritis, exercise therapy, massage and magnetotherapy are recommended.
Exposure of the course 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 the development of the disease;
- prolong periods without exacerbations.
Things to remember:
- The difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis lies in the causes of their occurrence and manifestations.Arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is associated with degeneration and wear and tear of cartilage tissue.Arthritis and osteoarthritis are interrelated, as inflammatory processes can contribute to the breakdown of intra-articular cartilage and wear of hyaline cartilage can trigger secondary inflammation of 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 with movement, difficulty performing normal activities, short-lived morning stiffness, and initial pain;swelling of the joint is possible (with the development of secondary inflammation).In addition, with arthritis there will be no pathological changes on the radiological picture, but with osteoarthritis there will be a decrease in the height of the joint space.
- Treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis must be comprehensive.Depending on the cause of the arthritis, your doctor may recommend antibiotics, immunomodulatory medications, NSAIDs, or corticosteroids.When the inflammation is relieved, exercise therapy and magnetic therapy are added.For osteoarthritis, NSAIDs, exercise therapy, massage and magnetotherapy are used.