All joints in the human body have two enemies that prevent them from functioning fully. They are arthrosis and arthritis, however, despite having a similarity in the name, they are two different pathological processes that affect the cartilaginous tissue of the joints. Next, we will consider how arthrosis differs from arthritis.
As you know, cartilage guarantees the functioning of the joints. Cartilage is strong and resistant due to the fact that it does not have blood vessels and nerve endings. Thanks to it, the stress on the tissues, where there are capillaries or nerve fibers, is reduced.
When a person is in motion, the cartilage tissue promotes a painless and unimpeded rotation of the bone heads in the joint cavity, thus preventing damage to the joint by friction. During the jump, the walk, the cartilage softens the load, performing the function of absorbing the shock.
Osteoarthritis and arthritis cause joint stiffness, which prevents a person from leading a normal life due to limited movement. There are several symptoms in which the two diseases are similar, but there are many other symptoms that are fundamentally different.
Physiological processes caused by arthritis
The first symptom of the disease is pain in the joints. In arthritis, the process of inflammation of the cartilage tissue begins.
In the joint, arthritis affects:
- articular capsule;
- synovial fluid, which lubricates and nourishes the tissues and the joint cavity;
- located along the edges of the synovial membrane.
Patients diagnosed with arthritis often complain of joint pain and stiffness. The inflamed area starts to turn red 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 the swelling of the external tissues of the joint.
However, although the functions are reduced, there is no deformation of the structure. Arthritis causes the appearance of an inflammatory process in the cartilaginous tissue, caused by trauma, infection or metabolic disorders. This disease is completely curable, but only on the condition that the patient follows the doctor's recommendations during treatment and does not use unverified folk remedies for arthritis. If this process runs its course, the disease will lead to degradation of the joints.
Physiological processes caused by arthrosis
The presence of arthrosis or spondyloarthrosis leads to pathological processes that occur in the joint cavity. Since there are no vessels in the cartilage tissue, it feeds on synovial fluid, which contains many elements.
When a person reaches old age, the metabolic processes in his body begin to slow down, as a result of deteriorating cartilage nutrition, which leads to his deterioration.
Cartilage with various types of arthrosis becomes thinner and cannot handle shock-absorbing functions. Therefore, patients begin to experience pain syndrome the moment the joint is involved.
In this case, it does not make sense to take anti-inflammatory drugs for osteoarthritis, since there is no inflammatory process. This disease occurs in older people. Its occurrence is influenced by a person's lifestyle. Those people who eat right, lead a healthy life, arthrosis, as a rule, does not appear.
In addition, another factor that differentiates arthritis from arthrosis is that, unlike the first, in the second disease there is no edema, redness of the tissues.
In addition, arthrosis differs in that it affects a specific joint. If it affects a joint in one arm, it will not be in the other. It usually occurs in large joints, such as the hip or knee.
Different and similar characteristics of diseases
Similar symptoms:
- in the morning, the person feels numbness and stiffness in the joint;
- loss of total limb movement;
- pain when moving the affected joint.
They are symptoms inherent to two diseases, but the pain has a different character, the place of occurrence, the duration of the sensations are different. As a rule, the doctor trusts these indications when making a diagnosis.
Differences between arthrosis and arthritis
- With arthritis at the site of the affected joint, an increase in skin temperature is observed, this process is caused by inflammation. But with arthrosis, although the degenerative process is underway, this symptom is absent.
- Arthritis leads to swelling of the upper tissues; in the second disease, this symptom is absent.
- The presence of polyarthritis, arthritis due to inflammation can lead to subcutaneous nodules. These symptoms are not inherent in osteoarthritis.
- Arthrosis causes a deformation process in the joint and, if not treated (with ointments for osteoarthritis or other methods), it will become inoperative. The presence of polyarthritis or arthritis does not lead to deformity.
- Because of the inflammation in arthritis, the skin in the affected area becomes redder. The second disease does not change the color of the skin.
Similar signs and their differences
There are several nuances that can be diagnosed when studied. In the following, symptoms will be described with individual and similar symptoms.
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 awakening.
Many people aggravate the situation when they use a new miracle cream or a medicine advertised on the Internet to treat polyarthritis. Any good doctor will tell you that you cannot prescribe independent treatment for arthritis.
With regard to arthrosis, the pain occurs due to the degradation of the cartilaginous tissue, without it being able to mitigate the load. When there is no amortization, the bone system is injured.
A person feels pain after long walks or while doing exercises that put a load on the joints. When the disease first appeared, the patient may experience mild discomfort, but as the disease progresses, the condition only worsens. In this case, it is not necessary to take only pills or other osteoarthritis medication, the treatment must be complex and carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
Deformation process
Both diseases can alter the structure of the joint. Arthritis can be recognized by external physiological changes that are visible on visual inspection: increased local temperature, redness, swelling and nodule formation.
Often, arthritis is accompanied by: weakness, increased sweating, psoriasis. Only certain types of arthritis can lead to a change in the structure of the joint - osteoarthritis and traumatic arthritis.
Arthrosis is considered a more insidious disease, as it does not manifest externally. However, deformation of the active tissue occurs in the joint cavity. Cartilage becomes thinner and, as a result, bone tissue is exposed to unusual stress.
Inflammation
In arthritis, the swelling appears 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 analyzes, a high level of leukocytes is found. As a rule, the presence of infection or injury leads to the appearance of an inflammatory process.
Arthrosis does not lead to an increase in leukocytes, since there is no inflammation. The degeneration process begins gradually and, many times, the person does not even notice any symptoms.
Clicks and Crunch
A symptom of arthrosis is a crack in a sore joint. The reason for this is the wear and tear of the cartilage tissue, which causes pain during the interaction of bone tissues. But crunching does not always indicate the presence of a disease, a healthy person can also hear clicks. With arthrosis, the sound will be rough and dry.
In arthritis, there is no crushing, because, as a result of inflammation, the joint swells and is unable to move fully, the cartilaginous tissue performs its functions.
Joint mobility
Both diseases have a common symptom also in that they restrict the mobility of the joints. However, the reasons for the stiffness are different.
The decrease in motor activity of the joint with arthrosis is caused by the thinning of the cartilaginous tissue, whereas at the beginning of the disease there is no such symptom. In arthritis, the stiffness is caused by inflammation and is extensive. The joint is completely paralyzed.
General and specific causes of occurrence
The common causes of illness are injuries that a person sustained while running or jumping. In addition, regular and heavy loading of the joint can lead to this. For this reason, diseases are more commonly found in professional athletes. Another reason is severe or frequent hypothermia, which usually occurs in the joints of the limbs.
Arthritis occurs as a result of inflammation caused by the appearance of an infection in the body; this is not typical of arthrosis. Since inflammation is a whole-body process, arthritis is only a consequence. To cure the disease, you need to find the cause of the onset of the inflammatory process and eliminate it. In addition, being overweight can lead to arthritis due to the fact that it puts pressure on the joints. In this case, the joints of the lower extremities and the musculoskeletal system are at risk.
Osteoarthritis is a separate disease, since this process has nothing to do with the general state of the body. The reasons for its appearance are hidden in a small amount of substances that enter the body due to an inadequate diet. In addition, bad habits, such as smoking and alcohol abuse, can cause the disease. Often, its appearance is promoted by diseases of the circulatory tract and hormonal disorders. According to statistics, mainly the elderly suffer from arthrosis.
Who is at risk
A person of any age is susceptible to arthritis. The disease resulting from the infection affects even babies. According to statistics, women are more likely to suffer from arthritis.
As for arthrosis, the elderly suffer. As a rule, the deformation of the structure of the cartilaginous tissue begins from the age of 60. The fact is that the older a person is, the slower are the metabolic processes in the body, this is also influenced by the person's lifestyle. And by the way, whoever has arthritis is more susceptible to arthrosis.
The risk group includes people who have bad habits, expose their bodies to regular physical activity and eat poorly.
Common in the treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis
For the treatment of these diseases, the same measures are taken in part:
- the patient must exclude any stress, establish a preservation regime;
- taking medications that restore the volume of the cartilage and nourish it;
- perform exercise therapy in conjunction with massage to improve metabolic processes in the body and blood flow to the diseased joint;
- the use of analgesics to relieve pain;
- the doctor prescribes intra-articular block in the form of injections;
- oxygenation of the joint;
- the patient switches to a complex diet.
Treatment, in particular, varies over the course of antibiotics for infectious type arthritis to treat the underlying cause of the disease.
When the stage is advanced, they resort to surgical intervention as a treatment. This need arises when the cartilage tissue is completely destroyed. In this case, a joint prosthesis is installed.