The problem of joint diseases is always relevant. After forty years, about a third of the population begins to feel pain when moving, and after fifty years, more than half of the population begins to feel pain. The gradual destruction of cartilage, ligaments, bones, and soft tissues surrounding joints is known by doctors by the general term "osteoarthritis. "
How can this condition be prevented? And what treatments will help relieve pain once the disease has developed? To answer these questions, you first need to understand the difference between arthritis and arthrosis - the most common joint diseases.
What is arthritis?
The main difference between arthritis and arthritis can be seen in the names: acute, sudden disease ending in "-itis"; with "-from" – slow, chronic diseases.
Arthritis is an inflammatory lesion of the joints that occurs due to malfunction of the immune system due to infection (e. g. sore throat or otitis media), trauma, metabolic disorders, hypothermia, stress or otherOther reasons (even autoimmune).
The first signs appear like this:
- sharp pain in one or more joints (usually not only with movement), especially in the early morning;
- swelling, edema, redness of joints;
- The temperature increases markedly at the site of inflammation.
The inflammatory process caused by arthritis can affect the entire body. In this case, the patient feels high temperature, chills, loss of strength and may have inflammation of other organs (eyes, urinary system, even the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys).
Arthritis has dozens of forms. The most popular of them are:
- Rheumatism– connective tissue inflammation of large and medium joints that occurs after infection;
- rheumatoid arthritis– a slow autoimmune process that symmetrically affects many joints at the same time; causes the appearance of "nodules", pain, loss of mobility; can cause inflammation of many organs;
- Gout– due to the accumulation of uric acid in the blood and salts in the joints; usually begins with sharp pain in the big toe joint;
- Reactive arthritis– occurs in the context of damage to the body due to infection (chlamydia, streptococci, etc. );
- infectious arthritis– begins due to infection in the joints.
What is arthritis?
Unlike arthritis, arthritis is not accompanied by an inflammatory process. It causes poor circulation in the joints, causing the cartilage parts to begin to dry out.
Arthritis is a disease that deforms and destroys joint tissue. With it, the connecting layers lose water, become thinner and "wear out". The bones begin to touch each other, causing pain and making it difficult for the patient to move.
Signs of arthritis are:
- after a long period of immobilization (e. g. overnight rest), the joint "freezes", but then quickly develops upon return to activity;
- joint activity accompanied by strange sounds (clicking, crunching, squeaking);
- Physical activity causes pain.
What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis?
Both of these diseases affect the joints. But they are caused by different reasons, play out differently and can lead to very different consequences. Only an accurate diagnosis, based on the difference between arthritis and arthrosis, can prevent irreparable damage to the body.
It takes time for cartilage degeneration to fully develop and bone deformity to begin. Therefore, chronic joint disease often manifests in old age (after age 60, less common after age 50). The most susceptible to changes are the joints that have to constantly work under load: the fingers of musicians, the knees of athletes and weightlifters, the ankles of people who walk a lot or work standing, etc. . v.
On the contrary, arthritis can occur even in children. The inflammatory process causes pathology of the synovial membrane, saturation of blood vessels and synovial fluid (while with arthritis it is produced only in insufficient quantities). Unfortunately, nearly every fifth disability in the world is caused by various forms and complications of arthritis.
Inflammation can affect not only the joints, but also other tissues with active blood circulation: blood vessels and the heart, lungs, abdominal organs, eyes, urinary system, etc. v. On the other hand, osteoarthritis is limited by local mechanical damage to the bones and the formation of bone spurs in deformed joint areas. Although in its late stages and progressive forms, the disease can also lead to disability, leaving a person with complete immobility of all limbs.
How do arthritis and arthrosis manifest?
Let's compare the external manifestations to clearly see the difference between symptoms of arthritis and arthritis.
- Pain. In the early stages of arthritis (which lasts for many years), joint pain occurs with physical activity and disappears after rest. It is rarely sharp and strong. Even as the disease progresses, pain can appear even with small movements and even at rest. Usually, simply putting the body in a comfortable position is enough to reduce the pain. When suffering from arthritis, the patient feels uncomfortable with sharp pain of great intensity, which can only be extinguished with special medications. The typical symptom is pain at rest, especially in the early morning.
- Clicking, grinding, crunching joints. In joints affected by arthritis, layers of cartilage are destroyed. They stop protecting the ends of the bones from contact with each other. Therefore, when moving, bones touching and rubbing create rough, dry sounds. As the disease progresses, the joints grow stronger and louder. Arthritis is usually not accompanied by such symptoms.
- Deformation of joints and surrounding tissues. Arthritis that develops over time causes a change in the shape of the bones: their ends begin to crumble and wear away, bone spurs may appear. Sometimes in the acute stage there is swelling and pain, but these symptoms are not permanent. But joints affected by arthritis become inflamed and swollen. Forms of swelling and compression occur. The skin turns red and becomes hot.
- Limited mobility. Osteoarthritis causes stiffness in a specific joint that disappears with movement. At deeper stages, stiffness increases, bending amplitude decreases, eventually leading to immobility. When you have arthritis, you may feel stiff throughout your body, and trying to move will cause sharp pain.
- Changes in blood composition. Arthritis is not an inflammatory disease so was not reflected in the analysis. Arthritis causes a significant increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which indicates active inflammation and infection.
Therefore, symptoms of arthritis in the early stages rarely cause serious anxiety and discomfort. This leads to a careless attitude and late diagnosis of the disease, which means further treatment will be complicated.
Causes of osteoarthritis
There are a number of factors that increase the risk of pathological changes in the joints and surrounding tissues: constant overload, imbalance of the immune and hormonal system, poor physical condition. Therefore, to prevent diseases, you need to regularly follow these recommendations:
- Maintain moderate physical activity through simple exercises, walking, swimming, etc. v. This will help you lose weight, improve blood circulation, strengthen muscles - and thereby reduce stress on the joints.
- Try to eat healthy foods. Fatty foods, red meat and alcohol can be harmful. On the contrary, seafood, fruits, vegetables and dishes containing cartilage and gelatin will be beneficial for the body. It is important to drink plenty of clean water (2-3 liters per day).
- Choose suitable clothes and shoes: comfortable heels, warm enough, not restricting movement.
- If possible, avoid stress, interruptions and other "shocks" to the body.
However, if a person has been diagnosed with arthritis or arthrosis, before performing such simple actions, you should consult a doctor. In some cases, common precautions can be harmful and make the condition worse.
But how are arthritis and arthrosis treated? What is the difference? The causes of these pathologies are different: immunological, anti-infectious processes in the first case and cartilage malnutrition in the second. So the way to deal with them will be different. To choose the right course of action, you must first make an accurate diagnosis.
To do this, it is best to have X-rays and MRIs combined with blood and urine laboratory tests. After studying the results, the doctor will make appropriate recommendations.
Arthritis treatment
If the acute form of the disease is caused by an infection, it can be cured with antibiotics. But in this case, it is important to correctly choose the drug: it is necessary to neutralize the pathogenic bacteria before the joint pathology becomes irreversible. The course is supplemented with anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting drugs.
In the case of chronic arthritis (e. g. rheumatism), treatment must be carried out regularly throughout life. The most commonly used are corticosteroids, cytostatics and modern biological products. These are drugs with quite strong effects, so to ensure they do not harm the body, calculating the correct dosage, frequency and duration of use is very important.
For severe pain, your doctor may also prescribe a course of painkillers. And accompanying supportive methods are necessarily recommended: diet, physiotherapy and a course of physiotherapy. If the inflammation spreads to other organs, the patient must be referred for additional specialist examination.
Treatment of arthritis
Modern methods can almost completely eliminate the manifestations of the disease if the diagnosis is made at an early stage and the patient's age is not up to forty years old. To do this, in addition to standard monitoring of pressure on the joint and a course of medications (they begin the process of regeneration, restoring nutrition and hydration of cartilage), the patient may be prescribed wraps. mud, electrophoresis and sound therapy (affects the affected area). tissue with low frequency sounds).
In older people or in more severe forms, arthritis cannot be completely cured, although significant improvement in the condition and slowing of joint destruction can be achieved. This requires strict compliance with the doctor's recommendations: regular use of medications (for example, chondroprotectors), maintaining a healthy lifestyle, timely completion of prescribed procedures, follow-upjoint load.
In arthritis, the main attention is given to the restoration of the cartilage layer. If there are concomitant symptoms of the inflammatory process, antibiotics or corticosteroids can be prescribed to relieve the acute phase and switch to the main treatment regimen. In some severe cases, surgery and even artificial joint implantation may be required.