The joints have two main "enemies" who oppose full-fledged work. These are diseases of arthritis and arthrosis, despite similar names, the essence of ongoing pathological processes is different. The affected area of these diseases is cartilage.
Cartilage plays an important role in joint health. It has no blood vessels and nerve endings, so it can be strong and withstand heavy loads. This alleviates the effect on those tissues where there are nerve fibers or blood capillaries.
When the body moves, the cartilage ensures smooth and painless rotation of the bone heads in the joints, reducing friction damage to zero. When jumping, cartilage tissue acts as shock absorbers, absorbing the inertial load.
Arthritis and arthrosis "hinder" the work of the joints and interfere with full movement. Some of the symptoms of these diseases are similar, others are radically different.
Physiological processes in arthritis
When a person begins to feel pain in a particular joint, it may indicate the onset of a disease such as arthritis. This disease means inflammation of the cartilage.
The disease can affect all components of the joint:
- synovial membrane located along the edges;
- synovial fluid that nourishes tissues and acts as a lubricant;
- articular capsule.
Patients with arthritis complain of acute pain, for example, in the knee, limitation of limb mobility. Fever and redness of the inflamed area are characteristic. The pain can be "steamy, " affecting a similar joint on the other limb.
A constant sign of the disease is visually recognizable external tissue edema.
Despite the reduction in joint functionality, its internal structure does not change. This is just inflammation of the cartilage, caused by metabolic disorders, infection or caused by trauma, which with proper treatment can be removed without further degradation of the joint itself.
Physiological processes in arthrosis
This disease is more associated with internal changes in the joint. Because cartilage lacks blood vessels, it is nourished and regenerated by synovial fluid containing the necessary beneficial chemicals.
Over the years, metabolic processes slow down, and cartilage tissue, receiving less food, begins to deplete faster than it recovers. This leads to its thinning.
The decaying thin cartilage can no longer relieve stress well, so patients with osteoarthritis feel pain when walking or working with the affected joint.
Inflammatory processes are not noticed. The disease is exclusively related to age and is associated with individual lifestyle characteristics (proper eating habits and intake of additional supportive substances can serve as a good prevention and delay the onset of the disease for a long time).
Degradation of cartilage tissue leads to pain that is painful in nature. No swelling or redness.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects a specific joint. There is no parallel development in the same place in the adjacent limb. The disease often "picks" a large "knot" in the anatomy. It can be a hip or knee joint.
Similar and different features - briefly about the main thing
Arthritis and osteoarthritis have similarities in the manifestation of some symptoms. They are:
- stiffness after waking up, feeling of numbness in the joint;
- loss of complete motor function in the limb;
- a pain syndrome that makes performing basic actions uncomfortable.
Despite the general symptoms and the nature of the sensations, their number and location, I can tell what type of disease they relate to. Differences in the manifestations of the disease will help to more accurately identify the diagnosis.
So what is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis:
- The first has a clear rise in body temperature in the background of inflammation. In the second disease it is not a consequence of the gradual and imperceptible development of degenerative processes.
- Arthritis has pronounced tissue edema. In the case of osteoarthritis, this symptom is absent.
- Inflammation of the cartilaginous tissue can lead to the formation of subcutaneous nodules. Another disease does not cause this anomaly.
- Arthritis does not lead to anatomical deformities. Osteoarthritis, in fact, makes the joint incapacitated (in the extreme phase).
- Arthritis causes redness of the skin around the affected joint. Osteoarthritis is not characterized by a change in skin pigmentation.
Detailed differences and similarities
By taking a closer look at the symptoms, you can highlight the nuances that help identify the "enemy" that has hit the wrist. The main symptoms of the disease with the main similar and individual manifestations are listed below.
Pain syndrome
Painful feelings are inherent in both diseases. But because arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, pain is an integral part of the course of the entire disease. He has a sharp character. Sometimes patients can feel it at night or in the morning. Painful sensations cause suffering regardless of the type of person's actions.
Arthrosis pain is associated with cartilage degradation and an inability to fully fulfill its purpose. Mitigation and friction mitigation are not performed at the proper level, so the skeletal apparatus is injured.
It hurts painfully and appears more often after a long walk or other load on the affected joint. In the initial stage, the pain may be subtle, but the picture changes as the disease progresses.
Deformation
Both diseases affect the structure of the articular apparatus. The physiological changes in arthritis are more visual in nature. To:
- swelling;
- knot formation;
- redness of the skin;
- temperature.
Arthritis can be accompanied by: psoriasis, increased sweating and weakness. Only some types of disease (traumatic and osteoarthritis) can change the structural structure of the anatomical node.
In arthritic manifestations, it looks as usual on the outside, but irreversible processes take place on the inside. The layer of cartilage becomes thinner, which leads to an increasing load on the bone tissue.
Inflammatory process
Arthritic manifestations are characterized by swelling in the affected joint.
This is due to inflammation of the synovial film itself located inside the joint capsule. A blood test shows elevated leukocytes in such patients.
Inflammation can be caused by injury or infection.
In arthrosis, the leukocyte mass is normal, due to the absence of an inflammatory process. Degenerative changes go smoothly, the patient often does not notice them.
Squeaks and clicks
A crunchy sound in the joint is a sure sign of osteoarthritis. This is due to the deterioration of cartilage and the painful interaction of bone tissue. In healthy people, all joints sometimes rupture. The difference between the affected area is that the sound will be "dry" and "rough".
Arthritis does not crack because the swollen joint is limited in movement, and its cartilage still protects the bone tissue from painful interactions.
Joint mobility
Restriction of joint work combines the symptoms of these diseases. But there is a significant difference in the nature of the violation.
In arthritic pathology, the range of motion decreases, but this happens gradually, as the cartilage wears out. Arthritis is characterized by severe stiffness that paralyzes joint function. This is due to swelling and inflammation.
Common and different causes of development
These diseases can develop due to injuries sustained while jumping or running. Joint disease can cause a strong and long-lasting load. This is the "professional" legacy of many athletes. Delayed hypothermia is another factor that contributes to the development of both diseases.
The difference between the diseases is that arthritis can occur due to an infection that has entered the body, which is not typical for osteoarthritis. This is a general inflammation, where the arthritic manifestation will be only a consequence, for the treatment of which it is necessary to find and remove the primary source. Another cause of arthritis can be being overweight, which puts a strain on the joints on a daily basis.
Osteoarthritis is a separate disease that is not associated with general health conditions. It can develop due to poor quality of nutrition and supply of cartilage tissue with insufficient amounts of necessary substances. This can be alleviated by hormonal disorders and circulatory diseases, which disrupt the supply of other tissues. More often, the disease "accompanies" the elderly.
Risk zone
A person of any age can develop arthritis. As a result of the infection, it can affect the joints of even small children. Often a beautiful half of humanity suffers from it, at the age of 35-55.
Osteoarthritis is an exclusively "old" disease. Structural changes in cartilage tissue occur after 60 years. This is due to the deterioration of metabolic processes and other aging factors. People with arthritis are more likely to develop osteoarthritis.
Overweight, improper diet and intense exercise increase the likelihood of developing both diseases.
Approach to treatment
When diagnosing these diseases, a partially similar treatment is prescribed, which consists of:
- establishing a frugal regime that eliminates stress on the affected joints;
- taking medications that nourish cartilage tissue and restore its volume;
- massage combined with physiotherapeutic exercises, which improves blood flow to the sore spot and natural metabolism;
- pain relief with painkillers;
- intraarticular block;
- joint oxygenation;
- special complex dishes.
The difference between treatments is the course of antibiotics in the case of infectious arthritis to eliminate the underlying cause of the disease.
For arthritic manifestations, surgery is a separate way to remove the disease. This is necessary in case of complete destruction of the cartilage. In such a situation it is replaced by a prosthetic joint.
Disease prevention
As preventive measures for both diseases, the following can be singled out:
- Moderate stress. Take time for cardio exercises several times a week. This encourages joint mobility, without unnecessary stress, as in the case of lifting a bar.
- Don't get too cold.
- Eat right. Food must be rich in trace elements and vitamins.
- Maintain a healthy weight so that your joints do not wear out prematurely.
- Avoid joint injuries. Avoid jumping from great heights and lifting weights.
- In old age, walking with a cane reduces the load on the leg where the disease can develop.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
For arthritis, additional prevention will be the rapid diagnosis and treatment of any infectious disease, which will prevent the spread of inflammation to other sites.