Links have two main "enemies" that oppose full-time work. These are diseases of arthritis and osteoarthritis, despite similar names, the essence of ongoing pathological processes is different. The affected area of these diseases is cartilage.
Cartilage plays an important role in joint health. It has no blood vessels and nerve endings, so it can be strong and withstand heavy loads. This mitigates the effect on those tissues in which there are nerve fibers or blood capillaries.
When the body moves, the cartilage provides a smooth and painless rotation of the bone heads to the joints, reducing friction damage to zero. When they jump, cartilage tissue acts as a shock absorber, absorbing the inertial load.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis "impede" the work of the joints and interfere with full movement. Some of the symptoms of these diseases are similar, others differ radically.
Physiological processes in arthritis
When a person begins to feel pain in a particular joint, this may indicate the onset of a disease such as arthritis. This disease means inflammation of the cartilage.
The disease can affect all components of the joints:
- synovial membrane located along the edges;
- synovial fluid that nourishes tissues and acts as a lubricant;
- articular capsule.
Arthritis patients complain of acute pain, for example, in the knee, restriction of limb mobility. Fever and redness of the inflamed area are characteristic. The pain may be "steamy", affecting a similar joint in the other limb.
A constant sign of the disease is visually distinct external tissue edema.
Despite the decline in node functionality, its internal structure does not change. This is just inflammation of the cartilage, caused by metabolic disorders, infection or provoked by trauma, which, with proper treatment, can be eliminated without further degradation of the joint itself.
Physiological processes in osteoarthritis
This disease is more associated with internal changes in the joints. Since cartilage lacks blood vessels, it is nourished and rebuilt by synovial fluid, which contains the necessary beneficial chemicals.
With age, metabolic processes slow down and cartilage tissue, taking in less food, begins to get tired faster than it heals. This leads to its dilution.
The broken cartilage is no longer able to soothe well under stress, so patients with osteoarthritis experience pain when walking or working with the affected joint.
Inflammatory processes are not observed. The disease is related exclusively to age and is related to individual lifestyle characteristics (correct dietary habits and taking extra supportive substances can serve as a good prevention and delay the onset of the disease for a long time).
Degradation of cartilage tissue leads to aching pain in nature. There is no swelling or redness.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects a specific joint. There is no parallel development at the same site in the adjacent limb. The disease often "picks" a large "knot" in the anatomy. It could be the hip or knee joint.
Similar and different features - in short for the main thing
Arthritis and osteoarthritis have similarities in the appearance of some of the symptoms. They are:
- stiffness after awakening, a feeling of numbness in the joints;
- loss of full motor function in the limb;
- pain syndrome that makes performing uncomfortable actions uncomfortable.
Despite the general symptoms and the nature of the sensations, their number and location, they can indicate what kind of disease they are associated with. Differences in disease manifestations will help to more accurately identify the diagnosis.
So what is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis:
- The first has a clear increase in body temperature against the background of inflammation. In the second disease, this is not due to the gradual and invisible development of degenerative processes.
- Arthritis has pronounced tissue edema. In the case of osteoarthritis, this symptom is absent.
- Inflammation of cartilage tissue can lead to the formation of subcutaneous nodules. The second disease does not cause this anomaly.
- Arthritis does not lead to anatomical deformities. Arthrosis, in fact, renders the joint incapacitated (at an extreme stage).
- With arthritis, there is redness of the skin around the affected joint. Osteoarthritis is indistinguishable from a change in skin pigmentation.
Determining differences and similarities
With a closer look at the symptoms, you can highlight the nuances that help determine the "enemy" that hit the node. Below are the main symptoms of the disease with the main similar and individual manifestations.
Pain syndrome
Painful sensations are inherent in both diseases. But since arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joints, pain is an integral part of the course of the whole disease. She has a sharp character. Sometimes patients can feel it at night, or in the morning. Painful sensations cause suffering regardless of the type of actions of the person.
Pain in osteoarthritis is associated with cartilage degradation and the inability to fully fulfill its purpose. Wrapping and friction softening are not performed at the proper level, therefore, the bone apparatus is damaged.
Painful pain and appears more often after a long walk, or other loads on the affected joint. In the initial stage, the pain may be subtle, but the appearance changes as the disease progresses.
Deformation
Both diseases affect the structure of the articular apparatus. Physiological changes in arthritis are more visual in nature. Ajo:
- swelling;
- joint formation;
- skin rash;
- temperature.
Arthritis can be associated with: psoriasis, increased sweating and weakness. Only certain types of diseases (traumatic and osteoarthritis) can change the structural structure of the anatomical joint.
With arthritic manifestations, from the outside the joint looks as usual, but inside it irreversible processes occur. The cartilage layer becomes thinner, which leads to an increased load on the bone tissue.
Inflammatory processes
Arthritic manifestations are characterized by swelling in the area of the affected joint.
This is due to inflammation of the synovial film itself, which is inside the joint capsule. A blood test shows an increase in leukocytes in such patients.
Inflammation can be caused by injury or infection.
In osteoarthritis, the leukocyte mass is normal, due to the lack of an inflammatory process. Degenerative changes go smoothly, often unnoticed by the patient.
Chewing and clicks
A crackling sound in the joints is a sure sign of osteoarthritis. This is due to cartilage deterioration and painful bone tissue interaction. In healthy people, all the joints sometimes creak. The difference between the affected area is that the sound will be "dry" and "harsh".
Arthritis does not bounce because the swollen joint is restricted in movement, and its cartilage still protects bone tissue from painful interactions.
Joint mobility
Restriction of joint work combines the symptoms of these diseases. But there is a significant difference in the nature of the violation.
In arthritic pathology, the range of motion is reduced, but this occurs gradually as the cartilage gets tired. Arthritis is characterized by great stiffness that paralyzes the work of the joint. This is due to swelling and inflammation.
Common and various causes of development
These diseases can develop due to injuries suffered while jumping or running. Joint disease can be provoked by a strong and prolonged load. This is the "professional" legacy of many athletes. Delayed hypothermia is another factor that contributes to the development of both diseases.
The difference between the diseases is that arthritis can occur due to an infection that has entered the body, which is not typical for osteoarthritis. This is a general inflammation, where the arthritic manifestation will be only a consequence, for the treatment of which it is necessary to find and eliminate the primary source. Another cause of arthritis can be overweight, which overloads the joints on a daily basis.
Osteoarthritis is a specific disease that is not related to general health conditions. It can develop due to poor nutritional quality and supply of insufficient amounts of necessary substances to cartilage tissues. This can be alleviated by hormonal disorders and circulatory diseases, which impair the supply of other tissues. Most often the disease "accompanies" the elderly.
Danger zone
A person of any age can develop arthritis. As a result of the infection, it can affect the joints of even small children. Often the beautiful half of humanity suffers from it, at the age of 35-55 years.
Osteoarthritis is an exclusively "old" disease. Structural changes in cartilage tissue occur after 60 years. This is due to a deteriorating metabolic process and other aging factors. People with arthritis are more likely to develop osteoarthritis.
Excess weight, improper diet and strenuous exercise increase the possibility of developing both diseases.
Treatment approach
When diagnosing these diseases, a partially similar treatment is prescribed, which consists of:
- establishing a frugal regimen that eliminates stress on the affected joints;
- taking medications that nourish cartilage tissue and restore its volume;
- massage in combination with physiotherapy exercises, which improves blood flow to the injured site and natural metabolism;
- pain relief with painkillers;
- intra-articular blockade;
- joint oxygenation;
- special complex foods.
The difference between treatment is a course of antibiotics in case of infectious arthritis to remove the root cause of the disease.
For arthritic manifestations, surgical intervention is a special way to eliminate the disease. This is required in case of complete destruction of cartilage. In such a situation, it is replaced with a prosthetic joint.
Disease prevention
As preventive measures for both diseases, the following can be distinguished:
- Moderate stress. Make time for cardio group workouts several times a week. This promotes joint mobility, without unnecessary stress, as in the case of lifting a barbell.
- Do not cool too much.
- Eat properly. Food should be rich in trace elements and vitamins.
- Maintain a healthy weight so that your joints do not get tired prematurely.
- Avoid joint damage. Avoid jumping from great heights and lifting weights.
- In old age, walking with a cane, which reduces the load on the foot, where a disease can develop.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
For arthritis, additional prevention will be the diagnosis and prompt treatment of any infectious disease, which will prevent the spread of inflammation to other places.