When you mention diseases such as arthritis or arthrosis, joint problems inevitably come to mind. In fact, both pathologies are directly related to the musculoskeletal system, since the pathological process is localized in the articular joints. Both arthritis and osteoarthritis have similar symptoms. Many patients confuse these diseases and consider them one and the same pathology, however, there are fundamental differences.
What is arthritis and osteoarthritis and how are they different?
Arthritis and osteoarthritis are common diagnoses in older patients. To understand the differences between these two pathologies, let's look at what arthritis and arthrosis are and what is the difference between them.
A chronic disease of the joints in which the joints gradually deform is called osteoarthritis. A more correct name is osteoarthritis, since the pathological process affects not only cartilage, but ultimately also bone tissue.
The immediate cause of the disease is damage to the joint surfaces, causing them to wear out and no longer fulfill their functions. A typical manifestation of osteoarthritis is severe pain when moving the limb; Due to the aggravation of the pathological process, the mobility of the joint is significantly limited. In advanced stages, the joint may become immobile.
Osteoarthritis usually occurs in people over 45 years of age, but in rare cases it can also affect the joints of young people. The disease develops mainly in women and also affects people with congenital diseases of the limbs. Osteoarthritis is caused by excess weight, joint operations and injuries, for example to the hip or knee joint. Endogenous factors, such as poor nutrition or poor circulation in the joint, can also trigger the disease.
Arthritis is an inflammatory pathology localized in the joint. This is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis. Inflammation can occur as a result of a joint infection, an injury or due to degenerative tissue changes. Like osteoarthritis, arthritis is characterized by joint pain that worsens with movement.
Lack of treatment leads to loss of mobility of the joint and its complete immobilization. Arthritis is easier to recognize because inflammation causes redness of the skin at the lesion site and swelling. Note that arthritis is not an isolated pathology. This is a systemic disease that not only affects the musculoskeletal system. Arthritis typically affects the liver, kidneys and heart. This is the main difference between arthritis and local osteoarthritis.
Sign
The symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis are largely similar, but also have significant differences. Pain is a key symptom that is prominent in both osteoarthritis and arthritis. The nature of the pain is different: with arthrosis, patients experience negative sensations during physical activity, as well as with increasing load on the damaged joint.
In the initial stages, the pain may not be severe. For this reason, patients do not always attach importance to such symptoms and do not pay attention to the first signs of pathology. The pain subsides when you rest. Only in the second and third stages is there constant pain. However, if you position the limb well, the pain will subside. With arthritis, the pain does not subside and the highest peak of its development is reached at night, closer to the morning.
Grinding is a typical feature of osteoarthritis and chronic arthritis.
A crunch occurs due to a decrease in the elasticity of cartilage tissue and an increase in friction between the articular surfaces. In the early stages, the fingers may grind, and then larger joints are also affected. A characteristic feature of joint crunching is the rough, dry sound that the joint produces.
Restricted mobility of a joint and stiffness of movement are typical symptoms of osteoarthritis and arthritis. However, with osteoarthritis, the problems with the joints differ depending on the location, i. e. H. A specific joint is affected, and with arthritis - a systemic pathology - discomfort is noted not only in the joints, but throughout the body.
Joint deformities are observed in both pathologies, but have characteristic features. With arthrosis, changes affect only the joint itself, and the inflammatory process in arthritis leads to changes in the skin - swelling, redness and hyperthermia may occur. In addition, arthritis is accompanied by a general somatic pathology: body temperature rises, a typical feverish state appears, sweating increases, weakness and drowsiness appear. Conjunctivitis can occur and chronic diseases can become more complicated. There are no such symptoms in osteoarthritis, but once osteoarthritis has developed, inflammation is also associated with osteoarthritis.
A doctor must carefully distinguish the signs of arthritis and osteoarthritis. Therefore, if negative symptoms appear, consultation with a specialist is necessary.
diagnosis
To begin treating the disease, the correct diagnosis of arthritis or arthrosis is important. This can be done using various research techniques. Not all patients know which doctor deals with joint diseases. Therefore, in the initial stages, you can contact a rheumatologist or therapist, and then consult an orthopedist or surgeon.
Patients must undergo a blood test that shows general changes in the body. If the results of a blood test show no abnormalities, doctors tend to pre-diagnose osteoarthritis.
If the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the blood plasma increases, rheumatoid arthritis is suspected because there is clear evidence of an inflammatory process. Typically the speed increases above 25 mm/h. Another confirmatory sign is joint pain that worsens at night. To be fair, we would like to point out that an increase in ESR is also possible in osteoarthritis if it is accompanied by inflammation.
Another argument for rheumatoid arthritis would be an increased leukocyte count. For rheumatological tests, blood is also taken from a vein - the appearance of a special marker - C-reactive protein, which indicates inflammation. However, you should not rely only on a blood test, as one of the diseases cannot be reliably determined using this analysis. It is necessary to conduct additional examinations, constantly taking into account the presence of an inflammatory factor in the blood.
As additional tests, doctors prescribe the following to the patient:
- X-ray of the problem area;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- Computed Tomography;
- Radioisotope scanning.
Doctors take into account tests, a carefully collected medical history and the results of a blood test, after which a specific disease is diagnosed.
Treatment
In order for the treatment of arthritis and arthrosis to be successful, it is necessary to choose the right treatment strategy. Note that a complete cure of the disease is not always possible and in some cases long-term remission is considered a great success.
To relieve the exacerbation and prevent relapses of diseases, treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is imperative. Medications have a particularly strong effect on the body in arthritis and also influence the positive dynamics of osteoarthritis.
Features of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are as follows:
- It is not recommended to take medications for a long time, even if they do not cause any negative effects when taken;
- Patients with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney and heart diseases are prohibited from taking NSAIDs;
- Do not increase the dosage of drugs without the doctor's permission, as a negative reaction may occur with individual sensitivity;
- If you are taking medication, you should take it with a large glass of water;
- When taking NSAIDs, it is forbidden to combine several medications and drink alcoholic beverages.
- Taking NSAIDs during pregnancy is prohibited.
When contacting a doctor, after the examination, the patient will be prescribed effective treatment with the safest non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Basically, all drugs in this group can be divided into cyclooxygenase inhibitors 1 and 2. COX-2 inhibitors are considered medications that are more faithful to the body.
Many medications contain first and second generation inhibitors. These include ointments, plasters, gels and tablet preparations.
Medications to relieve muscle spasms – muscle relaxants – may be helpful in treatment. Typically, this often happens in patients suffering from osteoarthritis or arthritis. Severe joint pain leads to severe muscle tension and long-term symptoms lead to a lack of nutrients and oxygen. It is therefore very important to immediately relieve the symptoms associated with the disease.
An indispensable prerequisite during therapy is the normalization of metabolic processes. This becomes possible after the inflammation has subsided and muscle spasms have been relieved. Metabolic drugs for patients with arthritis and osteoarthritis are adenosine triphosphoric acid, inosine, adenosine phosphate, B vitamins and anabolic steroids.
To remove salts in arthrosis, a special series of drugs are prescribed, as well as means to achieve optimal acid-base balance.
To cure arthritis and arthrosis or achieve lasting positive dynamics, it is very important to take all medications recommended by your doctor. In addition, this must be done according to the scheme prescribed by the doctor, since even the most effective metabolic agents are simply useless against the background of an active inflammatory process.
Traditional treatment
Diseases such as arthritis and arthrosis can be treated not only with conventional medications, but also with folk remedies. Massages with preparations based on natural ingredients make sense. These are ointments with bee and snake venom. These preparations also include essential oils. During the massage you can add eucalyptus and ginger oil, ginger, marjoram, rosemary or juniper oil.
Warm baths have a good relaxing effect on arthritis and arthrosis. They relieve muscle pain and fatigue and help relax the entire body. The best composition is one drop of ginger oil and the same amount of benzoin styrax or two drops of marjoram and black pepper oil per tablespoon of olive oil. Add 15-20 drops to the bath. The recipe helps well if the patient has arthrosis of the legs. Baths with oils can be done every evening at night.
Black poplar also has an excellent effect. Not all patients know how to treat arthritis and arthrosis with black poplar, but it is very simple. From a healthy tree you need to collect rot, young leaves and shoots - about half a bucket. Then everything is poured with boiling water up to the edge of the container and left overnight. In the morning, the liquid is carefully poured into the bath, leaving the cake, and immersed in it for half an hour. After a bath, it is recommended to warm up and lie in bed for an hour.
Folk remedies are also of great help if the patient suffers from osteoarthritis - a severe combination of bone deformations and the inflammatory process in the articular joint. For treatment, you need to take a glass of spruce needles and fill it with two liters of water. The product must be cooked for fifteen minutes. The broth is then poured into the bath and taken until the water has completely cooled down.
Senna leaves help with arthritis and arthrosis. If the patient regularly treats the disease with this remedy, the inflammation quickly disappears. Senna is used as follows: two jars of the dry component are poured with a liter of boiling water and sealed for forty minutes. The liquid is then poured into the bath, where sea salt is added and held until the water is at the optimal temperature. After the bath, areas damaged by osteoarthritis or arthritis are treated with fir oil and wrapped in a cloth.
prevention
As a preventive measure, doctors give patients the following advice:
- fully treat all infectious pathologies, do not interrupt the course of therapy with antibacterial drugs so as not to leave foci of inflammation in the body;
- maintain a balanced diet;
- Wear comfortable shoes that don't restrict your feet.
- get rid of excess weight, which puts additional strain on the limbs;
- Do not cool your feet too much, be careful in wet weather and cold seasons;
- Protect yourself from injuries and use special bandages, supports and elastic bandages during active sports.
- Do gymnastics every day, take walks in the fresh air to activate blood circulation in the body, and at the first symptoms of arthritis or arthrosis, perform special joint gymnastics - exercises for hands, ankles, knees.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis are serious damage to the joint surfaces. If treated incorrectly or prematurely, they can lead to disability. Doctors therefore strongly recommend that you see a doctor at the first symptoms of illness.