When you mention diseases such as arthritis, arthrosis, joint problems inevitably come to mind. Indeed, these two pathologies are directly related to the musculoskeletal system, because the pathological process is localized in the articular joints. Both arthritis and arthrosis have similar symptoms. Many patients confuse these diseases and consider them to be the same pathology, however, they have fundamental differences.
What is arthritis and arthrosis and how are they different?
Arthritis and arthrosis are common diagnoses in older patients. To understand the difference between these two pathologies, let's consider what arthritis and arthrosis are and what is the difference between them.
A chronic disease of the joints, in which their gradual deformation is observed, is called arthrosis. A more accurate name is osteoarthritis, because the pathological process involves not only cartilage, but ultimately bone tissue as well.
The immediate cause of this disease is damage to the surface of the joints, as a result of which they wear out and stop performing their functions. A typical manifestation of arthrosis is severe pain when moving the limb; due to the severity of the pathological process, joint mobility is very limited. In advanced stages, the joint may become immobile.
Arthrosis usually appears in people over the age of forty-five, but in rare cases it can affect the joints of young people. The disease develops mainly in women, and it also affects people with congenital pathologies of the limbs. Arthrosis is caused by excess body weight, joint surgery, and injury, for example, to the hip or knee joint. Endogenous factors, such as poor nutrition or blood circulation disorders in the joints, can also trigger this disease.
Arthritis is an inflammatory pathology localized in the joints. This is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis. Inflammation can appear as a result of infection in the joint, injury, and also due to degenerative changes in the tissue. Like arthrosis, arthritis is characterized by joint pain that worsens with movement.
Lack of proper treatment leads to loss of joint mobility and complete immobilization. Arthritis is easier to distinguish, because inflammation causes redness of the skin at the site of the lesion and swelling. Note that arthritis is not an isolated pathology. This is a systemic disease that affects not only the musculoskeletal system. Arthritis usually affects the liver, kidneys, and heart. This is the main difference between arthritis and local arthrosis.
Signs
The symptoms of arthritis and arthrosis are largely similar, but they also have significant differences. Pain is an important symptom that appears in the presence of both arthrosis and arthritis. The nature of the pain varies: with arthrosis, patients experience negative sensations during physical activity, as well as when the load on the damaged joint increases.
In the early stages, the pain may not be severe. Therefore, patients do not always pay attention to such symptoms and do not pay attention to the first signs of pathology. While resting, the pain subsides. Only in the second and third stage pain is always present. However, if you position the limb well, the pain will decrease. With arthritis, the pain does not subside, and the highest peak of its development is reached at night, closer to the morning.
Crunching is a typical feature of arthrosis and chronic arthritis.
Reflection occurs due to a decrease in the elasticity of cartilage tissue and an increase in friction between the articular surfaces. In the early stages, you may notice throbbing fingers, and then larger joints are affected. A characteristic feature of joint crunch is the rough, dry sound produced by the joint.
Limitation of mobility in joints and stiffness in movement are typical symptoms of arthrosis and arthritis, but for arthrosis, problems with joints differ in locality, i. e. certain joints are affected, and with arthritis - a systemic pathology - discomfort is observed not only in the joints, but throughout the body.
Articular defects are observed in both pathologies, but have their own characteristics. With arthrosis, changes affect only the joint itself, and the inflammatory process in arthritis causes changes in the skin - you can see swelling, redness, and hyperthermia. In addition, arthritis is accompanied by general somatic pathology: body temperature rises, the usual febrile state occurs, increased sweating, weakness and drowsiness appear. Conjunctivitis may begin, and chronic diseases may become more complicated. With arthrosis there are no such symptoms, but if arthrosis has developed, then inflammation will also accompany arthrosis.
A doctor must carefully distinguish the signs of arthritis and arthrosis, so if negative symptoms appear, consultation with a specialist is required.
Diagnostics
To start the treatment of the disease, the correct diagnosis of arthritis or arthrosis is important. This can be done by using various research techniques. Not all patients know which doctor deals with joint pathology, so at the initial stage you can contact a rheumatologist or a therapist, and then you need to consult an orthopedist or a surgeon.
The patient is required to undergo a blood test, which will show general changes in the body. If the blood test results do not show any abnormalities, then the doctor tends towards arthrosis as an initial diagnosis.
If the rate of erythrocyte deposition in the blood plasma increases, rheumatoid arthritis is suspected, as there are clear indications of the inflammatory process. Usually the rate increases above 25 mm/h. An additional confirming sign is joint pain that worsens at night. To be fair, we note that an increase in ESR is also possible with arthrosis, if it is accompanied by inflammation.
An additional argument in favor of rheumatoid arthritis is the increased number of leukocytes. Blood is also taken from the vein for rheumatological tests - the appearance of a special marker - C-reactive protein, which indicates inflammation. However, you should not rely only on blood tests, because it is impossible to reliably determine one of the diseases using this analysis. It is necessary to conduct additional research, always taking into account the presence of inflammatory factors in the blood.
As an additional test, the doctor prescribes the following to the patient:
- X-ray of the problem area;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- computed tomography;
- radioisotope scanning.
Doctors take into account tests, a carefully collected medical history and blood test results, after which a specific disease is diagnosed.
Treatment
For the treatment of arthritis and arthrosis to be successful, it is necessary to choose the right treatment strategy. Note that it is not always possible to completely cure the disease, and in some cases long-term remission is considered a great success.
To relieve the severity and prevent recurrence of the disease, it is important to treat with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Medicines have a very strong effect on the body with arthritis, and also affect the positive dynamics of arthrosis.
Features of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are as follows:
- It is not recommended to take drugs for a long time, even if they do not cause negative effects during administration;
- patients with pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney and heart disorders are prohibited from taking NSAIDs;
- Do not increase the dose of the drug without the doctor's permission, because negative reactions may occur if individual sensitivity occurs;
- When taking the medicine, you should take it with a large glass of water;
- when taking NSAIDs, it is forbidden to combine several drugs, as well as drink alcoholic beverages;
- Taking NSAIDs during pregnancy is prohibited.
When contacting the doctor, the patient will be given effective treatment with the safest non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs after examination. Basically, all drugs in this group can be divided into cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 inhibitors. COX-2 inhibitors are considered more loyal to the body's drugs.
First and second generation inhibitors are included in many drugs. These are ointments, patches, gels and tablet preparations.
Medicines to relieve muscle spasms - muscle relaxants - will be useful in treatment. Usually, this often happens in patients suffering from arthrosis or arthritis. With severe pain in the joints, the muscles experience severe tension, and with prolonged discomfort they experience a lack of nutrition and oxygen, so it is very important to immediately relieve the discomfort that accompanies this disease.
During therapy, a very necessary condition is the normalization of metabolic processes. This becomes possible after inflammation subsides and muscle spasms are relieved. Metabolic drugs for patients with arthritis and arthrosis are adenosine triphosphoric acid, inosine, adenosine phosphate, B vitamins, anabolic steroids.
To remove salt from arthrosis, a series of special drugs are prescribed, as well as ways to achieve an optimal acid-base balance.
To cure arthritis and arthrosis or achieve lasting positive dynamics, it is very important to take all the medicines recommended by your doctor. Moreover, this must be done according to the regimen prescribed by the doctor, because even the most effective metabolic agents against the background of an active inflammatory process will be useless.
Traditional treatment
Diseases such as arthritis and arthrosis can be treated not only with traditional medicine, but also with folk remedies. Massage with preparations based on natural ingredients will be useful. This is an ointment with bee and snake venom. This preparation also includes essential oils. During the massage, you can add eucalyptus oil and ginger, ginger, marjoram, rosemary or juniper oil.
For arthritis and arthrosis, a warm bath has a good relaxing effect. They will help relieve muscle pain and fatigue, and will help relax the body as a whole. The best composition is one drop of ginger oil and the same amount of styrax benzoin or two drops of marjoram and black pepper oil per one tablespoon of olive oil. Add 15-20 drops to the bath tub. The recipe helps well if the patient has foot arthrosis. Bathing with oil can be done every evening at night.
Black poplar also has a very good effect. Not all patients know how to treat arthritis and arthrosis with black poplar, but it is very easy to do. From a healthy tree, you need to collect rot, young leaves and shoots - about half a bucket, after which everything is poured with boiling water to the edge of the container and kept overnight. In the morning, the liquid is carefully poured into the bathtub, leaving the cake, and soaked in it for half an hour. After showering, it is advised to warm up and lie on the bed for an hour.
Folk remedies are very helpful even if the patient is attacked by arthrosis - a combination of severe bone deformities along with the inflammatory process in the articular joints. To treat, you need to take a glass of fir needles and fill it with two liters of water. It is necessary to boil the product for fifteen minutes, after which the soup is poured into a bathtub and taken until the water cools completely.
Senna leaves will help with arthritis and arthrosis. If the patient regularly treats this disease with this medicine, the inflammation quickly disappears. Senna is used as follows: two glasses of dry components are poured with a liter of boiling water and covered for forty minutes. Then the liquid is poured into the bathtub, sea salt is added there and taken until the water is at the optimal temperature. After bathing, the damaged area due to arthrosis or arthritis is treated with fir oil and wrapped with a scarf.
Prevention
As a preventive measure, doctors give patients the following advice:
- fully treat all infectious pathologies, do not interrupt the course of therapy with antibacterial drugs, so as not to leave pockets of inflammation in the body;
- adhere to a balanced diet;
- wear comfortable shoes that do not restrict your feet;
- get rid of excess weight, which creates additional pressure on the limbs;
- do not overcool your feet, be careful in wet and winter weather;
- protect yourself from injuries, and when actively playing sports, use special bandages, supports and elastic bandages;
- do gymnastics every day, take a walk in the fresh air to activate blood circulation in the body, and when the first symptoms of arthritis or arthrosis are detected, do special joint gymnastics - exercises for hands, ankles, knees.
Arthritis and arthrosis are severe lesions on the articular surface. If treated incorrectly or not in time, it can cause disability, so doctors strongly recommend that you see a doctor at the first symptoms of the disease.