Arthritis and arthrosis - what is and what is the difference between diseases

The most common joint pathologies are arthritis and arthrosis. Two diseases have many differences, on which the result of the disease depends largely.

The correct determination of the disease by a medical specialist serves as a guarantee of effective treatment for the complete restoration of the affected joints. Under the influence of age -related changes, each person has the risk of pathological changes in the joints. The joints are especially affected, which throughout life are subjected to increased load.

Diseases can be a direct cause of joint changes. To avoid undesirable consequences of joint diseases, it is necessary to give diseases to be developed, adhering to prevention and treatment measures.

What is arthritis and arthrosis and how they differ

Arthritis and arthrosis are frequent diagnoses in older patients. To understand the differences between these two pathologies, we will consider what arthritis and arthrosis are and what is the difference between them.

Many people confuse arthrosis and arthritis, because they have many similar symptoms:

  • pains;
  • pain during movement;
  • Bone deformation;
  • swelling;
  • redness of the inflamed area;
  • a burning sensation in an affected place;
  • STATION.
Arthritis and Arthrosis

This is why it is necessary to understand these diseases in more detail, in order to understand their specificities, to distinguish between symptoms and types of manifestations of the disease.

Arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joints, when the enzymes that destroy connective tissue begin to be produced in the body. The synovial shell is affected, where the vessels and nerve endings are located, the composition of the liquid is disturbed and the cartilage does not receive the correct nutrition. Long -term arthritis spills into arthrosis.

Consider the difference in symptoms between arthritis and arthrosis:

Arthritis symptoms Arthrosis symptoms
  • Synovitis appears - swelling at a painful point, strong sensitivity, the limitation of mobility is characteristic.
  • Any joints are affected, small and large. Even in the plural, polyarthritis will be diagnosed.
  • Most of the time, it manifests itself in women.
  • Pain - painful, acute, regardless of rest or loads. It can "swim" from one place to another.
  • In the morning, articulation stiffness manifests itself, low mobility. It disappears half an hour after a person begins to move.
  • In an inflamed place, the temperature increases, the skin turns red.
  • Edema in the area of the painful joint.
  • Members can freeze, flow and numbness are observed in the morning.
  • The articulation is deformed, which is immediately visible in X -ray.
  • It begins to affect climate dependence, the painful joints are very crying "to the weather".
  • The nature of pain as a wave. At an early stage, the pain is weak, the intensity does not increase for a long time;
  • Gradually, the pain is improved in the morning, it is heard stiffness in the joints of the problem;
  • As dystrophic changes develop, the mobility of the affected area decreases, in advanced cases, complete immobility is possible due to cartilage destruction;
  • The main location sites are the hip joints (COKSARROSIS), spine (spondylartrrosis), knees (gonarthrosis).

Pay attention to the main signs of joint pathologies. Even slight joint discomfort should cause suspicion of the development of negative processes in the cartilage.

Causes

Arthritis is an inflammatory reaction in the joint, which occurs in response to the action of a variety of harmful factors.

Arthrosis, or rather osteoarthritis, is not a separate disease either, but a group of completely different states that is based on a change in all joint components: cartilage, bones, ligaments, joint capsule and periarticular muscles.

Causes of arthritis The causes of arthrosis
  1. Wound. The most famous mechanism for the development of arthritis. Hematomas, fractures, hemorrhages in the joint cavity lead to damage to cells and inflammation formation.
  2. Hypothermia. The blood supply for the joints, especially the small ones, can make it worse markedly. Connective tissue cells, devoid of nutrition, die. Arthritis occurs.
  3. Infection. It can fall into the joint compound for injury or with blood flow for infectious diseases, for example tuberculosis, leather and lime disease.
  4. Systemic diseases of connective tissue. This is a group of diseases in which immunity begins to perceive their own body tissues as strangers and attack them. This is a systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and some other diseases.
  5. Since bones, cartilage and ligaments consist of most of the connective tissue, they are the joints that respond to this inflammation first.
  6. The reason for the development of arthritis can also be serious diseases such as psoriasis, Crohn disease, ulcer colitis.
  1. The action of professional factors and sports load. Gymnasts and skaters have an increase in the frequency of damage to the hip joints, ballet dancers - ankle, soccer players and basketball players - knee, boxers - hand joints.
  2. Overweight body weight. The people of obesity often have more load in the joints and intervertebral discs. As a result of constant microtraumatization, these structures wear out, which is the basis of diseases known as osteochondrosis and spondylartrosis.
  3. The consequences of joint injuries. Not always after acute injury and arthritis development, the joint is completely restored. Sometimes its blood supply remains disturbed, as a result, joint functions under insufficient nutrient and oxygen intake conditions. After some time, arthrosis develops.
  4. Systemic diseases that violate the nutrition of joint cartilage. This includes, for example, diabetes mellitus, insufficient thyroid function, as well as some diseases, accompanied by impaired calcium metabolism. In addition, bone perestroika can cause menopause hormonal disorders.
  5. Chronic inflammatory processes that occur in the joints. Protective inflammation can occur in connective tissue diseases, Behterev disease and other conditions.

However, despite differences in symptoms and causes of occurrence, in some cases arthritis and arthrosis may exist together. For example, with rheumatoid arthritis, frequent exacerbations of the disease are observed, in which the joint has no time to recover. Another example: the articulation merged incorrectly after the fracture, which is constantly undergoing trauma. Doctors call these states "arthrroso-arthritis".

Diagnosis

To start the treatment of the disease, the correct diagnosis of arthritis or arthrosis is important. It can be performed using various research methods. Not all patients know which doctor is involved in joint pathologies; Therefore, at the early stage, you can contact a rheumatologist or therapist, and then you will need an orthopedic consultation, a surgeon.

Patients should receive a blood test that demonstrates general changes in the body. If the results of blood tests do not show deviations, doctors will be inclined to arthrosis as a preliminary diagnosis.

With an increase in red blood cell settlement rate in blood plasma, rheumatoid arthritis is suspected, as there is a clear indication of the inflammatory process. Normally, the indicator increases above 25 mm/h. Joint pain, intensifying at night, will also be an additional confirmation feature. To be fair, we observe that an increase in ESR is possible with arthrosis, if inflammation comes together.

An additional argument in favor of rheumatoid arthritis will be an increased amount of leukocytes. They also bring blood from the vein to rheumatological samples it appearance of a special brand-reactive protein that speaks of inflammation. However, you should not only rely on blood examination, as one of the diseases cannot be determined by this analysis. Additional studies are necessary, constantly taking into account the presence of an inflammatory factor in the blood.

As additional studies, doctors prescribe the patient:

  • X -ray of the problem area;
  • Magnetic resonance tomography;
  • computed tomography;
  • Radioisotopic scan.

Doctors take into account the tests, a carefully collected history and the results of a blood test, after which a specific disease is diagnosed.

Arthritis and Arthrosis - How to treat?

Both diseases involve special therapy, without which arthritis passes in a chronic form, and deprived arthrosis of performance.

The general principles of treatment are similar, but the tasks are different:

  • With arthritis, the main objective is to relieve inflammation, eliminate painful symptoms, avoid complications with other organs;
  • With arthrosis, due to the inability to completely cure the disease, the main therapeutic emphasis is on the relief of pain and stopping dystrophic processes in the cartilage.

The medical measures complex necessarily includes drugs in the form of tablets, ointments, creams, solutions, powders and injections. As auxiliary methods, folkloric recipes, physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises are used. In advanced cases, you cannot pass without surgical intervention.

Treatment of arthritis Treatment of arthrosis
  1. The first stage is the fight against pathogenic, dangerous viruses, under the influence of which the inflammatory process began. It is necessary to use anti -inflammatory drugs non -esteroids;
  2. It is important not only to destroy the pathogen of infection, but also strengthen immunity.
  3. Recommended protein diet, vitamin therapy, dairy products. Alcohol rejection, strong coffee, carbonated drinks, black tea (best green) are required.
  4. Physiotherapists give a good effect: electrophoresis with drugs for inflammation, magneto and laser therapy and therapeutic baths. After interrupting the inflammatory process, to restore the mobility of the painful joint, the LFK complex, massage. Rich methods are useful without heat use.
  1. The main task is to normalize the condition of the cartilage tissue. The doctor prescribes chloroprotectors with hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine. A long treatment course improves the elasticity of cartilage, restores blood circulation, metabolism and interrupts degenerative-distribution processes.
  2. In severe cases, the drugs of the AINE group are required to relieve pain, eliminate inflammation, which developed during the abrasion of joint tissue. But as the main remedy for arthrosis therapy, they are ineffective.
  3. Physiotherapeutic procedures, special exercises are useful. Many patients and doctors talk positively about Bubnovsky's joint gymnastics.
  4. Patients successfully use folkloric methods. Ointments at home, decocations, tablets, baths, dyes are made of natural components.
  5. With the complete destruction of cartilage tissue, surgical treatment is performed - endoprostrate. Arthrosis cannot be completely healed, you can only maintain joint health, avoid exacerbations.

The treatment of arthrosis is prolonged and complex - in a hospital, clinical and sanatorium institution. Using physical therapy exercises, massages, physiotherapeutic procedures. There is an orthopedic correction. With the ineffectiveness of the above, surgical manipulations are performed - arthrodesis (immovable fixation of the bone compound at a given position) or arthroplasty (restoring joint resources).

Arthritis therapy is also performed comprehensively, depending on the severity of the disease. Physiotherapeutic methods and SPA resort treatment are prescribed. Massage is not recommended here, exercise therapy is very rare. In case of complications (inflammation of the singer bag, tendon rupture, complex joint deformations), with intense pain and lack of the effect of drug therapy, surgery is performed. This is the bone joint prostheses, complete or partial removal of the joint bag and arthrodesis.

Treatment of Folk Remedies of Arthritis and Arthrosis

The folkloric methods are a good assistant in the treatment of arthritis and arthrosis at home. These recipes based on natural components have a predominantly symptomatic effect used as an additional tool.

Folk Recipes for Arthritis Popular Remedies for Arthrosis
With arthritic joint inflammation, you can do:
  • Compress at night with bardan leaves, white cabbage, aloe, washed in advance and slightly wrinkled to secrete the juice;
  • Hot baths of pine needles, steaming joints in a cure decoction;
  • Grinding of an affected place from the egg yolk, apple vinegar spoon and will be waited;
  • A decoction of sage herbs, St. John's Wort and Braids, making 2 tablespoons of the collection in boiling half water, taking 0, 5 cups before meals.
Relieving the condition with arthrosis will help:
  • a ginger root compress, it grated in a grater and attached to a painful joint to stimulate blood circulation and a heating effect;
  • Rubika for the 50 g of honey and 1 teaspoon night. Healing Mummy;
  • pepper patch or mustard compress as a thermal procedure;
  • Baths based on a mint leaves or soda solution.

All recipes can be used for both diseases, but only after consulting the assistant doctor. Home treatment can help, eliminating unpleasant sensations and damage, causing allergic reaction and exacerbation.

Result

The difference between arthritis and arthrosis is significant. Knowing the characteristics of joint diseases will help the patient control the course of the pathological process, competently use all available treatment methods. Under the guidance of an experienced doctor, you can deal with any joint pathology.

To avoid disease, attention should be paid to a healthy lifestyle. A balanced meal and systematic exercise will increase joint life, and this is necessary to strengthen all health.