Joints have two main "enemies" that thwart full-fledged work. These are arthritis and osteoarthritis diseases, despite the similar names, the essence of the ongoing pathological processes is different. The area affected by these diseases is the cartilage.
Cartilage plays an important role in the health of the joints. It doesn't have blood vessels or nerve endings, so it can be strong and withstand heavy loads. This softens the effect on tissues in which there are nerve fibers or blood capillaries.
As the body moves, the cartilage allows unhindered and painless rotation of the bony heads in the joints, reducing friction damage to zero. When jumping, the cartilage tissue acts as a shock absorber, absorbing the inertial load.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis "hinder" the work of the joints and interfere with full movement. Some of the symptoms of these diseases are similar, others are radically different.
Physiological processes in arthritis
When a person begins to experience pain in a particular joint, it 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 joint:
- the synovial membrane located along the edges;
- synovial fluid which nourishes the tissues and acts as a lubricant;
- joint capsule.
Patients with arthritis complain of severe pain, for example in the knee, limited mobility of the limbs. Characteristic is fever and redness of the inflamed area. The pain may be "scorching, " affecting a similar joint on the other limb.
A constant sign of the disease is visually recognizable edema of the external tissues.
Despite the decrease in the functionality of the joint, its internal structure does not change. It is only an inflammation of the cartilage, caused by metabolic disturbances, infection or caused 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 joint. Since the cartilage lacks blood vessels, it is nourished and rebuilt by the synovial fluid, which contains the necessary beneficial chemicals.
With age, metabolic processes slow down, and cartilage tissue, less well nourished, begins to wear down faster than to recover. This leads to its thinning.
The thin decaying cartilage is no longer able to absorb stress well, so patients with osteoarthritis experience pain when walking or working with the affected joint.
Inflammatory processes are not observed. The disease is exclusively related to age and associated with individual lifestyle characteristics (correct eating habits and the intake of additional supportive substances can serve as good prevention and delay the onset of the disease for a long time).
The breakdown of cartilage tissue leads to pain of a painful nature. There is no swelling or redness.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects a specific joint. There is no parallel development at the same place in the adjacent limb. The disease often "picks" a large "node" in the anatomy. It can be the hip or knee joint.
Similar and different characteristics - briefly about the essentials
Arthritis and osteoarthritis have similarities in the manifestation of some of the symptoms. They are:
- stiffness after waking up, feeling of numbness in the joint;
- loss of full motor function in the limb;
- pain syndrome that makes it unpleasant to perform elementary actions.
Despite the general symptoms and the nature of the sensations, their number and place, they can tell what kind of disease they relate to. Differences in the manifestations of diseases will help to more accurately identify the diagnosis.
So what is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis:
- The first has a marked increase in body temperature against the background of inflammation. In the second disease, this is not due to the gradual and imperceptible development of degenerative processes.
- Arthritis has pronounced tissue edema. In 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 cause anatomical deformities. Osteoarthritis, in fact, renders the joint unfit (at an extreme stage).
- With arthritis, there is redness of the skin around the affected joint. Osteoarthritis is not distinguished by a change in the pigmentation of the skin.
Detail the differences and similarities
By taking a closer look at the symptoms, you can highlight nuances that help identify the "enemy" that has struck the joint. Below are the main symptoms of diseases 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 pain regardless of the person's type of action.
Pain in osteoarthritis is associated with the breakdown of cartilage and the inability to fully fulfill its purpose. Damping and damping of friction is not performed at the proper level, therefore, the bone apparatus is injured.
Sore pain and appears more often after a long walk or other load on the affected joint. At the initial stage, the pain may be subtle, but the picture changes as the disease progresses.
Deformation
Both diseases affect the structure of the joint system. The physiological changes in arthritis are more visual in nature. This:
- swelling;
- the formation of nodules;
- redness of the skin;
- Temperature.
Arthritis can be accompanied by: psoriasis, increased sweating and weakness. Only certain types of diseases (traumatic and osteoarthritis) can modify the structural structure of the anatomical node.
With arthritic manifestations, the joint looks on the outside as usual, but irreversible processes take place on the inside. The layer of cartilage thins, which leads to an increased load on the bone tissue.
Inflammatory process
Arthritic manifestations are characterized by swelling in the area of the affected joint.
This is due to the inflammation of the synovial film itself, which is located inside the joint capsule. A blood test shows elevated leukocytes in these patients.
Inflammation can be caused by injury or infection.
In osteoarthritis, the leukocyte mass is normal, due to the absence of an inflammatory process. Degenerative changes go smoothly, often unnoticed by the patient.
Crunch and clicks
A crackling sound in the joint is a sure sign of osteoarthritis. This is due to the deterioration of cartilage and the painful play of bone tissue. In healthy people, all joints sometimes crack. The difference between the affected area is that the sound will be "dry" and "rough".
Arthritis does not crackle because the swollen joint is limited in movement and its cartilage still protects bone tissue from painful interactions.
Joint mobility
Limitation 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 decreases, but this happens gradually, as the cartilage wears down. Arthritis is characterized by extensive stiffness that paralyzes the work of the joint. This is due to the swelling and inflammation.
Common and diverse causes of development
These illnesses can develop due to injuries sustained while jumping or running. Joint disease can be caused by a strong and prolonged load. It is the "professional" heritage of many athletes. Another factor contributing to the development of both diseases is delayed hypothermia.
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 being overweight, which puts stress on the joints on a daily basis.
Osteoarthritis is a separate disease that is unrelated to general health problems. It can develop due to the poor quality of nutrition and the intake of insufficient amounts of substances necessary for cartilage tissue. This can be facilitated by hormonal disorders and circulatory diseases, which interfere with the supply of other tissues. Most often, the disease "accompanies" the elderly.
Risk area
A person of any age can develop arthritis. Due to the infection, it can affect the joints even of young 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 age 60. This is due to a deterioration in the metabolic process and other factors of aging. People with arthritis are more likely to develop osteoarthritis.
Being overweight, poor diet, and strenuous exercise increase the likelihood of developing both diseases.
Therapeutic approach
When diagnosing these diseases, partially similar treatment is prescribed, which consists of:
- establishment of a savings plan that excludes stress on the affected joints;
- take drugs that nourish the cartilage tissue and restore its volume;
- massage in combination with physiotherapy exercises, which improves blood flow to the sore spot and natural metabolism;
- pain relief with analgesics;
- intra-articular blockade;
- oxygenation of the joint;
- special complex meals.
The difference between treatment is a course of antibiotics for infectious arthritis to eliminate the root cause of the disease.
For arthritic manifestations, surgery is a separate means of eliminating the disease. This is necessary in case of complete destruction of the cartilage. In such a situation, it is replaced by a prosthetic joint.
Disease prevention
As preventive measures for both conditions, we can distinguish:
- Moderate stress. Schedule time for group cardio exercise several times a week. This promotes joint mobility, without unnecessary stress, as in the case of lifting a bar.
- Do not overcool.
- Eat well. Food should be rich in trace elements and vitamins.
- Maintain a healthy weight so that your joints don't wear out prematurely.
- Avoid joint injuries. Avoid jumping great heights and lifting weights.
- In old age, walking with a cane, which reduces the load on the leg, where disease can develop.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
For arthritis, additional prevention will be the timely diagnosis and treatment of any infectious disease, which will prevent the inflammation from spreading to other places.