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.

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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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:
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To relieve arthrosis, it will help:
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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.