All the joints in the human body have two enemies that prevent them from working fully. These are arthrosis and arthritis, however, despite the fact that they have a similarity in name, these are two different pathological processes affecting the cartilaginous tissue of the joints. In the following, we will consider how arthrosis differs from arthritis.
As you know, cartilage ensures the functioning of the joints. Cartilage is strong, durable due to the lack of blood vessels and nerve endings. Thanks to it, stress is relieved on the tissues, where there are capillaries or nerve fibers.
When a person is in motion, the cartilage tissue promotes painless, undisturbed rotation of the bone heads in the joint cavity, thus preventing joint damage from friction. During jumping, walking, the cartilage softens the load, performing the function of shock absorption.
Osteoarthritis and arthritis lead to joint stiffness, which prevents a person from leading a normal life due to limited movement. There are a number of symptoms in which the two diseases are similar, but there are many other symptoms that differ significantly.
Physiological processes caused by arthritis
The first symptom of the disease is joint pain. In arthritis, the process of inflammation of the cartilage tissue begins.
In the joint, arthritis affects:
- joint capsule;
- synovial fluid that lubricates and nourishes tissues and the joint cavity;
- located along the edges of the synovial membrane.
Patients diagnosed with arthritis most often complain of pain, stiffness of the joints. The inflamed area begins to redden, and the temperature rises even at the site of arthritis or polyarthritis. In some cases, the pain syndrome is also felt in the paired joint of the other arm or leg.
A symptom that worries the patient in the presence of arthritis and polyarthritis is swelling of the external tissues of the joint.
However, despite the fact that the functions are reduced, deformation of the structure does not occur. Arthritis causes an inflammatory process of cartilage tissue, caused by trauma, infection or metabolic disorders. This disease is completely curable, but only provided that the patient during treatment adheres to the recommendations of the doctor and does not use untested folk remedies for arthritis. If this process is allowed to start, the disease will lead to joint degradation.
Physiological processes caused by arthrosis
The presence of arthrosis or spondyloarthritis leads to pathological processes that occur in the joint cavity. Because there are no veins in the cartilaginous tissue, it feeds on synovial fluid that contains many elements.
When a person reaches old age, the metabolic processes in his body begin to slow down, as a result of which the nutrition of the cartilage deteriorates, which leads to its deterioration.
Cartilage with various types of osteoarthritis becomes thinner and cannot cope with shock-absorbing functions. For this reason, patients begin to feel pain syndrome at the time the joint is affected.
In this case, it makes no sense to take anti-inflammatory drugs for osteoarthritis, because there is no inflammatory process. This disease occurs in the elderly. Its appearance is influenced by a person's lifestyle. Those people who eat properly, lead a healthy lifestyle, arthrosis, as a rule, does not occur.
Also, another factor in distinguishing arthritis from osteoarthritis is that, unlike the first, in the second disease there is no edema, tissue redness.
Also, osteoarthritis differs in that it affects a certain joint. If it grips the wrist on one hand, then it will not be on the other. It often occurs in large joints such as the hips or knees.
Different and similar features of the disease
Similar symptoms:
- in the morning the person feels numbness and stiffness in the joint;
- loss of movement of the entire limb;
- pain when moving the affected joint.
These are symptoms inherent in two diseases, but pain has a different character, the place of origin and duration of sensation are different. The doctor generally relies on these indications when making a diagnosis.
Differences between osteoarthritis and arthritis
- In arthritis at the site of the affected joint, an increase in skin temperature is noticed, this process is caused by inflammation. But with osteoarthritis, despite the fact that the degenerative process lasts, this symptom is absent.
- Arthritis leads to swelling of the upper tissues, while in other diseases this symptom is absent.
- The presence of polyarthritis, arthritis due to inflammation can lead to subcutaneous nodules. Such symptoms are not characteristic of osteoarthritis.
- Osteoarthritis causes a process of deformity in the joint and if left untreated (using arthrosis ointment or other methods), it will become inoperable. The presence of polyarthritis or arthritis does not lead to deformity.
- Due to inflammation in arthritis, the skin in the affected area is red. The second disease does not change the color of the skin.
Similar signs and their differences
There are a number of nuances that can be diagnosed when studied. Symptoms with individual and similar symptoms will be described below.
Painful sensations
As mentioned above, pain syndrome occurs in both diseases. However, arthritis must be characterized by the presence of inflammation that leads to pain. The very nature of the pain is acute and can appear even at night or immediately after waking up.
Many people make matters worse when they use a new miracle cream or medicine advertised on the Internet to treat polyarthritis. Any good doctor will tell you that you cannot prescribe arthritis treatment on your own.
As for osteoarthritis, the pain is caused by the breakdown of cartilage tissue, as a result of which it is unable to relieve the load. When there is no depreciation, the skeletal apparatus is injured.
The person feels excruciating pain after long walks or when doing exercises that strain the joint. When the disease first appears, the patient may feel mild discomfort, but as the disease progresses, the condition only gets worse. In this case, you need to take not only tablets or other drugs for osteoarthritis, treatment should be complex and carried out under the supervision of a physician.
Deformation process
Both diseases can change the structure of the joint. Arthritis can be recognized by external physiological changes that are visible on visual inspection: increase in local temperature, redness, swelling and nodule formation.
Arthritis is often accompanied by: weakness, increased sweating, psoriasis. Only certain types of arthritis can lead to a change in the structure of the joint - these are osteoarthritis and traumatic arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is considered an insidious disease because it does not manifest externally. However, active tissue deformation occurs in the joint cavity. The cartilage becomes thinner and, as a result, the bone tissue is exposed to unusual stress.
Inflammation
In arthritis, swelling occurs in the area of the affected joint. The reason for this is the inflamed synovial film located in the middle of the capsule. When examining the patient's analysis, an increased level of leukocytes is determined. The presence of infection or injury usually leads to the appearance of an inflammatory process.
Osteoarthritis does not lead to an increase in leukocytes, because there is no inflammation. The process of degeneration begins gradually, and often a person does not even notice any symptoms.
Clicks and crushing
The symptom of arthrosis is cracking of the painful joint. The reason for this is worn-out cartilage tissue, which causes pain during the interaction of bone tissues. But crushing does not always mean the presence of disease, a healthy person can also hear clicks. With osteoarthritis, the sound will be harsh and dry.
In arthritis, there is no cramping, because as a result of the inflammation, the joint swells and cannot be completely moved, the cartilage tissue performs its functions.
Joint mobility
Both of these diseases have common symptoms in that they limit the mobility of the joints. However, the reasons for stiffness are different.
Decreased motor activity of the joint in osteoarthritis is caused by thinning of the cartilage tissue, while at the beginning of the disease there is no such symptom at all. In arthritis, stiffness is caused by inflammation and is extensive. The joint is completely paralyzed.
General and specific causes
Common causes of the disease are injuries that a person sustains while running or jumping. Also, regular and heavy joint loading can lead to that. For that reason, diseases are most often found in professional athletes. Another reason is severe or frequent hypothermia, which often occurs on the joints of the limbs.
Arthritis occurs as a result of inflammation caused by the appearance of an infection in the body; it is not typical of osteoarthritis. Since inflammation is a whole body process, arthritis is just a consequence. In order to cure the disease, it is necessary to discover the cause of the inflammatory process and eliminate it. Also, being overweight can lead to arthritis due to the fact that it creates stress on the joints. In that case, the joints of the lower extremities and the musculoskeletal system are in danger.
Osteoarthritis is a separate disease, because this process has nothing to do with the general condition of the body. The reasons for its appearance are hidden in the small amount of substances that enter the body due to improper diet. Also, bad habits, such as smoking and alcohol abuse, can cause illness. Often, its appearance is promoted by diseases of the vascular tract and hormonal disorders. According to statistics, mostly the elderly suffer from osteoarthritis.
Who is in danger
A person of any age is susceptible to arthritis. The disease that results from the infection affects even babies. According to statistics, women suffer from arthritis more often.
As for osteoarthritis, the elderly suffer from it. Deformation of the structure of cartilage tissue usually begins in those older than 60 years. The fact is that the older a person is, the slower the metabolic processes in the body, and the lifestyle of the person is also affected. By the way, those who have arthritis are more susceptible to osteoarthritis.
The risk group includes people who have bad habits, expose their body to regular physical activities and eat poorly.
Common in the treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis
In part, the same measures are taken to treat these diseases:
- the patient must exclude any stress, establish a sparing regime;
- take medications that restore cartilage volume and nourish it;
- perform exercise therapy together with massage to improve metabolic processes in the body and blood flow in the diseased joint;
- use of painkillers to relieve pain;
- the doctor prescribes intra-articular blockade in the form of injections;
- joint oxygenation;
- the patient switches to a complex diet.
Treatment varies especially during antibiotics for infectious arthritis to treat the underlying cause of the disease.
When the phase progresses, they resort to surgery as a treatment. This need occurs when the cartilage tissue is completely destroyed. In this case, a prosthetic joint is installed.