Arthritis and arthrosis - what is it 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 to a large extent.

Proper determination of the disease by a healthcare professional serves as a guarantee for 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 particularly affected, which throughout life are under increased load.

Diseases can be a direct cause of joint changes. In order to prevent the undesirable effects of joint diseases, it is necessary not to apply diseases for development, adhering to prevention and treatment measures.

What is arthritis and arthrosis and how they differ

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

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

  • pain;
  • pain during movement;
  • bone deformity;
  • swelling;
  • redness of the inflamed area;
  • burning sensation in the affected area;
  • Station.
Arthritis and arthrosis

Therefore, it is necessary to understand these diseases more detail in order to understand their specifics, to distinguish the symptoms and types of manifestations of the disease.

Arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joints when enzymes that destroy connective tissue begin to produce in the body. The synovial sheath is affected, where the vessels and nerve endings are located, the composition of the fluid is disturbed and the cartilage does not receive proper nutrition. Long -term arthritis is poured into arthrosis.

Consider the difference in symptoms between arthritis and arthrosis:

Symptoms of arthritis Symptoms of arthrosis
  • Synovitis occurs - swelling in a sore spot, severe sensitivity, restriction of mobility are characteristic.
  • All joints are affected, small and large. Even in the plural, then polyarthritis will be diagnosed.
  • It is most often manifested in women.
  • Pain - pain, acute, regardless of the condition of rest or load. He can "swim" from one place to another.
  • In the morning there is stiffness in the joint, poor mobility. It disappears half an hour after one begins to move.
  • In the sore spot, the temperature rises, the skin becomes red.
  • Swelling in the area of the inflamed joint.
  • The limbs can freeze, flow, tingling is observed in the morning.
  • The joined joint is deformed, which is visible immediately in the X.
  • It begins to affect the meteorological dependence, the inflamed joints many whine "for the weather".
  • A wave similar to pain. At an early stage, the pain is mild, the intensity does not increase for a long time;
  • Gradually the pain increases, in the morning a stiffness is heard in the problem joints;
  • With the development of dystrophic changes, the mobility of the affected area decreases, in advanced cases complete immobility is possible due to the destruction of cartilage;
  • The main locations for localization are hip joints (coxarthrosis), spine (spondylartrosis), knees (gonarthrosis).

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

Reasons

Arthritis is an inflammatory reaction in the joint that occurs in response to the action of various harmful factors.

Arthrosis, or more recently osteoarthrosis, is also not a separate disease, but a group of completely different conditions that are based on change in all components of the joint: cartilage, bones, ligaments, joint capsule and periarticular muscles.

Causes of arthritis The causes of arthrosis
  1. Injury. The most famous mechanism for the development of arthritis. Bruises, fractures, bleeding in the joint cavity lead to damage to the cells and the formation of inflammation.
  2. Hypothermia. The blood supply to the joints, especially the small ones, can get sharply worse. The connective tissue cells, devoid of nutrition, die. Arthritis occurs.
  3. Infection. It may fall into the joint compound for injuries or with blood flow in infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, leather, lime disease.
  4. Systemic diseases of connective tissue. This is a group of diseases in which immunity begins to perceive its own tissues of the body as strangers and attack them. It is systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and some other diseases.
  5. Because bones, cartilage and ligaments consist of the greater part of the connective tissue, the joints respond to such inflammation in the first place.
  6. The cause of the development of arthritis can also be serious diseases such as psoriasis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis.
  1. The action of professional factors and sports workload. Gymnasts and skaters have an increased frequency of damage to the hip joints, ballet dancers - ankle, players and basketball players - knee, boxers - joints on the arm.
  2. Excess body weight. Obesity people have repeatedly increased load on intervertebral joints and discs. As a result of constant microtraumatization, these structures wear out, which is the basis of such well -known diseases as osteochondrosis and spondylartrosis.
  3. The consequences of joint injuries. Not always after acute injury and development of arthritis, the joint is completely restored. Sometimes his blood supply remains impaired, as a result of the joint functions under the conditions of insufficient nutrient intake and oxygen. After a while, arthrosis develops.
  4. Systemic diseases that disrupt the feeding of the articular cartilage. These include, for example, diabetes mellitus, insufficient thyroid function, and some diseases accompanied by impaired calcium metabolism. Also, bone perestroika can cause hormonal menopausal disorders.
  5. Chronic inflammatory processes occurring in the joints. Protective inflammation can occur in diseases of the connective tissue, the disease of Bechtere and other conditions.

Despite the differences in the symptoms and causes of the onset, in some cases arthritis and arthrosis may exist together. For example, in rheumatoid arthritis, frequent exacerbations of the disease are observed in which the joint has no time to recover. Another example: the joint is incorrectly merged after a fracture, which is constantly injured. Doctors call such conditions "artros arthritis".

Diagnostics

To begin treatment of the disease, the correct diagnosis of arthritis or arthrosis is important. It can be done using various methods of examination. Not all patients know which doctor is engaged in joint pathologies, so at the initial stage you can contact a rheumatologist or therapist and then you will need a consultation of an orthopedist, a surgeon.

Patients should be prescribed a blood test that will demonstrate common changes in the body. If the results of the blood test do not show abnormalities, then doctors are prone to arthrosis as a preliminary diagnosis.

With the increase in the rate of the village of red blood cells in the blood plasma, rheumatoid arthritis is suspected, as there is a clear indication of the inflammatory process. Usually the indicator increases above 25 mm/h. The pain in the joints, increasing at night, will also be an additional confirmation function. Honestly, we note that an increase in ESR with arthrosis is possible if the inflammation has joined it.

An additional argument in favor of rheumatoid arthritis will increase the amount of leukocytes. They also take blood from the vein to the rheumatological samples-the evidence of a special brand A reactive protein that speaks of inflammation. However, you should not rely solely on a blood test, as one of the diseases cannot be determined by this analysis. Additional studies need to be conducted, taking into account the presence of an inflammatory factor in the blood.

As additional studies, doctors prescribe the patient:

  • X of the problem area;
  • magnetic resonance imaging;
  • Computed tomography;
  • Radioisotopic scanning.

Doctors take into account the tests, 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 include special therapy, without which arthritis goes into chronic form and arthrosis is deprived of effectiveness.

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

  • With arthritis, the main purpose is to relieve inflammation, to eliminate painful symptoms, to prevent complications of other organs;
  • With arthrosis, due to the inability to completely cure the disease, the main therapeutic focus is on relieving pain and stopping the dystrophic processes in cartilage.

The complex of medical measures necessarily includes medicines in the form of tablets, ointments, creams, solutions, powders, injections. Folk recipes, physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises are used as ancillary methods. In advanced cases, you cannot do without surgery.

Arthritis Arthrosis
  1. The first stage is the fight against pathogenic bacteria, the dangerous viruses, under the influence of which the inflammatory process began. The use of non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs is required;
  2. It is important not only to destroy the pathogen of the infection, but also to strengthen the immunity.
  3. Recommended protein diet, vitamin therapy, dairy products. Alcohol, strong coffee, sweets, black tea (better green) is needed.
  4. Physiotherapists have a good effect: electrophoresis with inflammatory drugs, magnet-and laser therapy and therapeutic baths. After stopping the inflammatory process to restore the mobility of the inflamed joint, LFK complex, massage. Wealthy methods are useful without the use of heat.
  1. The main task is to normalize the condition of cartilage tissue. The doctor prescribes chondroprotectors with hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine. The long course of treatment improves cartilage elasticity, restores blood circulation, metabolism and stops degenerative dystrophic processes.
  2. In severe cases, drugs in the NSAID group are required to relieve pain, eliminating inflammation, which develops during joint tissue abrasion. But as the main means of arthrosis therapy, they are ineffective.
  3. Physiotherapy procedures, special exercises are useful. Many patients and doctors have a positive talk of Bubanovski's joint gymnastics.
  4. Patients successfully use folk methods. Homemade ointments, dowels, compresses, baths, tinctures are made of natural components.
  5. With the complete destruction of cartilage tissue, surgical treatment is performed - endoprothetics. Arthrosis cannot be completely cured, you can only maintain joint health, prevent exacerbation.

The treatment of arthrosis is prolonged and complicated - in a hospital institution, clinic and sanatoriums. Use of physiotherapy exercises, massages, physiotherapy procedures. There is an orthopedic correction. With the ineffectiveness of the above, surgical manipulations are performed - arthrodesis (fixed fixation of the bone compound in a given position) or arthroplasty (restoration of joint capabilities).

Arthritis therapy is also performed comprehensively, depending on the severity of the disease. Physiotherapy methods and spa resort are prescribed. Massage is not recommended here, exercise therapy is very rare. In the case of complications (inflammation of the bag for periods, tendon rupture, complex joint deformities), with severe pain and the lack of effect of drug therapy, surgery is performed. This is the prosthesis of the bone joint, the full or partial removal of the joint bag and the arthrodesis.

Treatment of arthritis and arthrosis folk remedies

Folk 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 Folk remedies for arthrosis
With inflammation of the arthritic joints you can do:
  • Compresses at night from birco leaves, white cabbage, aloe, washed in advance and slightly concave to secrete juice;
  • Warm pine needles, choking of joints in the healing decoction;
  • grinding an affected area of egg yolk, a spoon of apple cider vinegar and turpentine tournaments;
  • Herbal decoction of sage, St. John's St. John St. John, boils 2 tablespoons of the collection in half boiling water, taking 0, 5 glasses before meals.
To relieve arthrosis, it will help:
  • ginger root compress, grated on a grater and attached to an inflamed joint to stimulate blood circulation and a warming effect;
  • Rubika for the night of 50 g of honey and 1 tsp medicinal mummy;
  • Perper patch or mustard compression as a thermal procedure;
  • Baths based on a decoction of mint leaves or soda soda solution.

All recipes can be used for both diseases, but only after consultation with the attending physician. Home treatment can help, eliminating unpleasant sensations and harm, causing an allergic reaction and exacerbation.

Result

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

In order to prevent diseases, a healthy lifestyle must be addressed. Balanced nutrition and systematic exercise will increase the life of the joints and this is necessary to strengthen all health.