What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis, what is the difference between pathologies?

Arthritis and osteoarthritis of several joints

Arthritis and osteoarthritis are called the most dangerous enemies of the joints that prevent their work.However, despite the similarity of the name and a place of deployment, these diseases differ significantly from each other.Several joint pathologies are quite common in doctors' calculations, every third person over 35 faces one of them.With age, the number of patients increases.In this article, we will discover how osteoarthritis is different.

Distinctive causes and characteristics

Already based on the names of pathologies, the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis is immediately noticed.In medicine, the suffix "-it" indicates that this disease is associated with the inflammatory process.The suffix "-oz" is used to refer to diseases, as a result of which the destruction of tissues or organs occurs.Based on this, we can say what osteoarthritis is and what arthritis is and distinguish it from each other.

Arthrosis is called degenerative-dystophical pathology of the joints, as a result of which they are destroyed.

If we talk about arthritis, then it is more frequently diagnosed in women from 17 to 50 years.As a result of its development, the pathological process occurs in the synovial bag area.Arthritis is an inflammatory process in the joint, which also has a negative impact on the liver condition, kidneys, light and cardiovascular system.

Women over 30 are more susceptible to osteoarthritis.After 50 years, the risk of its occurrence increases significantly.Both diseases that affect the joints can lead to disability, if they do not begin to treat them in the initial development stage.At the same time, there is a difference: arthritis requires exclusively drug therapy methods, while the treatment of osteoarthritis is necessary to combine drug and surgical methods.

If the treatment of arthritis does not have a long period of time, then the disease can go to osteoarthritis, when destructive changes begin to occur in the synovial cartilage bag and tissues that surround it.In this case, arthrosy-artritis is diagnosed.

General Causes of Pathologies

There are general causes that can cause both diseases.These include:

  • Genetic predisposition.
  • Bone pathologies and connective tissue of congenital nature.
  • Overweight.
  • Injuries
  • Violation in nutrition.
  • Automobile hypothermia.
  • Missing or, on the contrary, excessive physical activity.
  • Violation of metabolic processes in the body.
  • Infections in the body.

Taking into account what is the difference in osteoarthritis with arthritis, it is necessary to highlight the reasons that are characteristic of each specific disease.

The characteristic reasons of arthritis

Such reasons include:

  1. Weakened immunity and irrational nutrition with insufficient vitamins and minerals in the diet.This leads to the fact that a person is subject to various infectious diseases.Therefore, the infection can fall into the joint region, which will lead to inflammation in it.
  2. Ligament lesions or joints (stretching, hematoma, etc.).
  3. Affection of the articular area.

If several factors are combined at the same time (for example, excess body weight, the presence of bad habits and suffered acute respiratory infections), then the risk of obtaining inflammation of the joint increases significantly.

The characteristic reasons of osteoarthritis

Arthrosis differs in that its development in most cases is associated with injury, acquired injuries and a violation of metabolic processes in the body.Unbearable arthritis can also lead to its development, since as a result of the metabolic processes of inflammation in the joint, which leads to its destruction.

Symptoms

Arthritis and osteoarthritis have a series of common characteristics, among which: articulation pain, swelling of the surrounding tissues, contour change and the limitation of mobility.But, there are manifestations that distinguish these two diseases.

Arthritis is diagnosed on the basis of such symptoms:

  1. Acute or painful pain, which in no way depends on the movement and can be bothered even at rest.
  2. The stiffness of the articulation in the morning or after a long vacation.
  3. Hyperemia
  4. Increased body temperature due to inflammation in the joint.
  5. Swelling of the joint region.
  6. Limiting mobility due to constant pain.

Arthosis is more characteristic of the following manifestations:

  • Silly pain that occurs during movement.
  • When moving in the joint, you can listen to a characteristic click.
  • The articulation is deformed.
  • Due to the growth in the bones, the joint movements are limited.
The deformation of the knee joint for osteoarthritis

Taking into account how osteoarthritis differs from osteoarthritis, this difference can be distinguished: with arthritis, the patient is tormented by the general weakness of the body, frequent headaches, chronic fatigue and weight loss is possible, which is not during osteoarthritis.Arthrosis always affects a specific articulation (right or left) and does not develop in parallel in another limb.Basically, the disease affects large joints (hip or knee).In this case, the difference between pathologies is that even the smallest joints of the body are subject to arthritis.

Detalization of symptoms

Taking into account the symptoms that are characterized by arthritis and osteoarthritis, one can distinguish some characteristics that help identify the pathology and make an accurate diagnosis.

Pain syndrome

Both pathologies cause pain.The only difference is that for arthritis, pain becomes a constant partner due to inflammation in the joint.It can happen not only during the movement, but also to appear at night.

In the case of osteoarthritis, pain is caused by degenerative processes in the cartilage.As a result of this, a bone device begins to suffer, which has lost its depreciation properties.In this case, painful sensations are real and are associated with the movement or load of the joint.

In the initial stage of the development of the disease, pain is small, but over time it progresses and intensifies.

Clicks and crunch

The characteristic sounds (clicks or crispy) in the affected joint help determine osteoarthritis.They occur when the cartilage and friction of the bones arise.

Deformation

Arthritis and osteoarthritis lead to the deformation of the affected joint.But in the first case, they are more notable.The difference is that with arthritis it can be observed:

  • Redness of the skin around the sore joint.
  • Swelling.
  • An increase in temperature in the affected area.
  • The appearance of nodules.
Redness of the skin and swelling of the joints with arthritis

In addition, arthritis is accompanied by the general weakness of the body, the increase in sweating and psoriasis.

In the case of osteoarthritis, the joint practically does not differ visually from a healthy.However, degenerative processes already occur within it, in which the exhaustion of cartilage tissue begins.

Mobility

Both diseases lead to certain restrictions on articulation mobility.But at the same time there are some differences.Arthrosa pathology leads to a decrease in motor activity gradually.The difference in arthritis is that inflammation and pain immediately fetterize the joint, interfering with their work.

Inflammation

With articular arthritic damage, its swelling is clearly remarkable, whose cause becomes inflammation in the joint capsule.As a result of a blood test, it is a greater amount of leukocytes.

Inflammation of the knee joint affected by arthritis

In the case of osteoarthritis, there is no inflammation, so the level of leukocytes will be normal.Degenerative changes often occur imperceptibly for the patient himself.

Area of risk

A person at any age can find arthritis.The disease is diagnosed even in young children after infectious diseases.Arthrosis is diagnosed mainly in the elderly, since changes in cartilage tissues are long and are associated with metabolic disorders and other factors related to age.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of these pathologies always aims to discover in what stage of development is the disease and what led to its development.The diagnostic measures list includes laboratory, bacteriological, microscopic and instrumental studies, X -rays.

The difference in exam results allows a specific diagnosis and elaborate a plan for additional treatment:

  1. Clinical blood analysis shows the amount of leukocytes, indicating the presence or absence of an inflammatory process.
  2. The X -Ray exam allows you to visually see changes in joint tissues.
  3. Knee joint arthroscopy
  4. Magnetic resonance can detect inflammation in the joint bag.This method is used rarely.
  5. Arthroscopy is prescribed in difficult cases to determine additional therapy.

Treatment

The difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis also applies to pathologies treatment methods.Disease therapy should be complex and includes:

  • Using drugs.
  • Physiotherapeutic procedures.
  • Diet.
  • The course of exercise therapy and therapeutic gymnastics.
  • Preventive measures.

Drug therapy

Traditional effective therapy will be whether it begins to treat osteoarthritis or arthritis in the initial stage of its development, when you can limit medications.The treatment of osteoarthritis is to prescribe the patient:

  1. Non -steroidal anti -inflammatory medications.They make it possible to save the inflammation patient and reduce pain.These medications are prescribed in the form of ointments, tablets or injections.
  2. Corticosteroids are used in the case of the acute development of the disease.
  3.  Condroprotectors for joints are necessary to restore cartilage tissue and synovial fluid.Take such drugs for a long time (at least 5-6 months in a row).
  4. Medical products of hyaluronic acid that have a positive effect on cell membranes, which contributes to the restoration of damaged cartilage.
  5. Significant medications with analgesic effect.

Choose a cure for arthritis, the doctor will recommend the following medications:

  1. Non -steroidal anti -inflammatory medications necessary for symptomatic therapy.
  2. Glucocorticoid agents are prescribed in case of 3-4 stages of acute arthritis.
  3. Modified medications are necessary to eliminate inflammation approach and prevent their greater development.
  4. Immunosuppressants help accelerate the recovery process and are introduced directly into the articulation capsule.
  5. Drugs to stop pain.
  6. Antispasmodics.
  7. Desensitizers.
  8. Vitamin-Mineral complexes.

Diet

To prevent complications that are often accompanied by arthritis and osteoarthritis, a certain diet must be observed.There are no differences in which disease should be treated.During this period, it is necessary to exclude from your diet:

  • Salt.
  • Fat varieties of meat and fish.
  • Sausage products.
  • Smoked meats.
  • Confectionery.
  • Alcohol.
  • Legumes.
  • Strong coffee and tea.
Adequate nutrition for arthritis and osteoarthritis

The difference in nutrition is only that with arthritis it is worth abandoning saturated meat broths.While for patients with osteoarthritis, on the contrary, they will be very useful, since they positively affect the condition of bone and cartilage.

The diet of patients diagnosed with arthros-artritis should be based on:

  • Low varieties of meat and fish that must be cooked or baked without spices.
  • Fresh vegetables and fruits.
  • A sufficient amount of clean water without gas.

Physiotherapy

The selected methods to treat these diseases can vary in the sense that for arthritis, the primary process is the elimination of the inflammatory process, while with osteoarthritis it is necessary to exclude all the factors that led to the destruction of joint tissues.Physiotherapy methods give a good result:

  • Laser treatment.
  • Ozonotherapy.
  • Laser treatment
  • Magnetotherapy
  • Phonoforesis using glucocorticoid.
  • Applications and paraffin bathrooms.

Operation

The best option for the treatment of osteoarthritis, especially in an advanced stage, is surgical intervention.The operation allows to eliminate existing destructive components and artificially increase the damaged cartilage tissue.If the changes in the articulation are significant and this prevents a person from moving, then endoprothetic is carried out.Depending on the cause and the degree of defeat, one of these operations is prescribed:

  1. Arthroscopy: elimination of osteophytes and other pathological formations.
  2. Arthrodesis is an artificial creation of an articular surface.Today, such intervention is extremely rare.
  3. Artroplasty: the restoration of the destroyed joint creating new structures.
  4. Endoprothetics: replacing the damage with knee joint disease with a new inert material made of inert materials.

Exercise therapy

A special gymnastics exercise complex, which is used for arthritis or osteoarthritis, does not differ significantly.At the same time, gymnastics must be aimed at heating and kneading the affected area, without a significant load.Before starting exercises, you must heat well.

The choice of exercise depends on which area the disease is developing.It can be giving palmaditas or pinching the joint, its rotation, flexion or kidnapping aside.

The treatment of osteoarthritis is always long and phases.In the initial stage, the use of drugs for osteoarthritis, physiotherapeutic procedures, massages and gymnastics is shown.If all this did not have the right effect, the operation is performed.

Arthritis treatment is also complex.The difference is that its duration depends on the form of pathology.The use of medicines and physiotherapy, which stop pain and relieve inflammation.The massage in this case is not used.It is extremely rare to prescribe physiotherapy exercises.With the ineffectiveness of pharmacological therapy, prostheses are carried out.

The treatment of any disease should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor who understands well what the difference in osteoarthritis and arthritis is.Auto -medical can only aggravate the situation and lead to the development of complications.

Prevention

To maintain healthy joints without allowing arthritis or osteoarthritis, it is important to adhere to certain preventive rules:

  1. Regularly practice sports, avoiding the types that are associated with weightlifting and the possibility of injuries.A good result is given by cardio loading and swimming.
  2. Avoid hypothermia.
  3. Ensure adequate nutrition with a sufficient amount of vitamins and microelements in food.
  4. Hiking due to joint disease prevention
  5. Follow the weight and avoid your excess increase in the norm.
  6. Avoid injuries.
  7. Use high quality and comfortable shoes.

In addition, for arthritis prevention, you must treat any infectious disease over time.

Arthrosis and arthritis are very similar to each other and are not likely to complete the cure.But paying attention to them and starting a competent treatment, the patient has the opportunity for a full life without disabilities.