Both arthritis and arthrosis affect the joints, and because of joint pain that forces the patient to go to the doctor in the hope of relief, he does not see the difference between these diseases.Arthritis, arthrosis - why this subtlety?Set some pills, let the pain go away!
But there are differences and often they are very important for further treatment: arthritis and arthrosis differ in the nature of the disease and the cause of the disease.
To better understand this difference, rememberhow joints work.
In the normal case, the joint consists of two bones, the head of which is covered with a special sliding material - hyaline cartilage.It makes it easier for the bones to rub against each other.Synovial fluid serves the same task: the bones are not adjacent to each other, there is a small gap between them, which is filled precisely with this fluid.The synovial fluid and bone contact areas that make up the joint are separated from other organs and tissues by the articular capsule, which consists of dense connective tissue.
In arthritis, it is the cartilage that becomes inflamed;in arthrosis, the intra-articular cartilage suffers.
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a collective nameinflammationjoint disease.In arthritis, the articular lining of the joint becomes inflamed and the body's connective tissue is affected.Arthritis can be caused by an immune disorder, infection, or injury.As a rule, it is accompanied by pain, swelling, redness and limited joint mobility.Arthritis is characterized by "flying" joint pain - it affects one joint, then another.Arthritis can develop at any age, even in adolescence (so-called juvenile arthritis).Advanced arthritis can be complicated by wear and tear of intra-articular cartilage (arthrosis).
What is arthrosis?
Arthrosis is chronicdegenerativejoint 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 because these are the joints that face the most stress.Arthrosis causes pain, stiffness and impaired joint mobility;pain always affects the same joint or group of joints.Arthrosis is typical for elderly patients, although the first signs of this disease can be found at the age of thirty.
Therefore, the main difference between arthritis and arthrosis lies in the cause of their occurrence and manifestation.Arthritis is associated with joint inflammation, while arthrosis 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 interconnected, because the inflammatory process can contribute to the degradation of intra-articular cartilage, i.e. arthrosis, and the wear and tear of hyaline cartilage can trigger secondary inflammation in the joints.
Causes of arthritis and arthrosis
Reasonarthritiscan be:
- Rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.).
- The response to the trigger pathogen (usually bacteria that causes intestinal or venereal disease): the body cannot stop in time and, even if the infection has been defeated, the immune system continues to attack, now affecting its own joint tissue.
- Entry of pathogens into the joint cavity as a result of injury or through the flow of lymph and blood.
- Entry of capillary blood into the joint cavity due to injury.
- Arthrosis (joint inflammation as a complication).
Reasonarthrosiscan be:
- Excess body weight, which increases the pressure on the leg joints.
- Hard physical work.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Joint instability due to ligament and tendon injuries.
- old age
- Surgery that affects the joints.
- Congenital characteristics of the body.
- Arthritis (hyaline cartilage begins to deteriorate due to the inflammatory process in the joints).
Often arthrosis is caused not by one reason, but by a combination of them.
Clinical signs of arthritis and arthrosis
Joint pain with arthrosis and arthritis is different.
Acute arthritis is characterized by:
- Significant redness of the skin around the affected joint.
- Severe swelling in the affected area.
- Joint pain during movement and rest.
- Prolonged morning stiffness (about an hour).
- Poor general health: weakness, low performance, body aches, sweating, and sometimes fever.
Arthritis is characterized by:
- Joint pain especially during movement.
- Difficulty doing normal activities (for example, with knee arthrosis, it is painful to climb stairs).
- Relatively short morning stiffness (up to half an hour).
- Starting pain: when the patient moves from rest to activity, the joint bothers him for some time, but this quickly passes.
- Extraneous sounds (clicks, creaks, pulsations) in the final stage of the disease./li>
- Narrowing of the joint space and/or bone deformation, which can be seen when palpating the joint (in the late stages of the disease, the deformation can only be seen by the eye).
- Swelling of diseased joints, if the patient has had arthrosis for a long time and has experienced secondary inflammation.
Radiography will help determine the diagnosis definitively.With arthritis, there will be no pathological changes in the image, but with arthrosis, you can see a decrease in the height of the joint space or even bone growth.
Treatment of arthritis and arthrosis
Arthritis therapywill vary depending on the type of disease and the cause that causes 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, physical therapy is also used to maintain joint function and physiotherapy, incl.exposure to magnetic fields.
Treatment of arthrosisis also comprehensive and includes both drug and non-drug methods.
The most commonly used drugs are NSAIDs, often in the form of gels and ointments.
Among non-medical methods for arthrosis, exercise therapy, massage and magnetic therapy are recommended.
Course exposure to magnetic fields with specially selected parameters for arthrosis allows:
- relieves pain, secondary inflammation and swelling;
- improve the nutrition of diseased joints and thereby delay the progression of the disease;
- prolong the period without exacerbation.
Things to remember:
- The difference between arthritis and arthrosis lies in the cause of its occurrence and manifestation.Arthritis is associated with joint inflammation, while arthrosis is associated with degeneration and wear of cartilage tissue.Arthritis and arthrosis are interrelated, as inflammatory processes can contribute to the degradation of intra-articular cartilage, and wear and tear 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 during movement and at rest, prolonged morning stiffness, and poor patient health.Arthrosis is characterized by joint pain during movement, difficulty performing normal activities, short-term morning stiffness and early pain;joint swelling is possible (with the development of secondary inflammation).In addition, with arthritis there will be no pathological changes on the X-ray image, but with arthrosis there will be a decrease in the height of the joint space.
- Treatment of both arthritis and arthrosis should be comprehensive.Depending on the cause of the arthritis, your doctor may recommend antibiotics, immunomodulatory drugs, NSAIDs or corticosteroids.When the inflammation is relieved, exercise therapy and magnetic therapy are added.For arthrosis, NSAIDs, exercise therapy, massage and magnetic therapy are used.