Joints have two main enemies that counteract full-fledged work. These are diseases arthritis and osteoarthritis, despite the similar names, the essence of the ongoing pathological processes is different. The affected area of these diseases is cartilage.
Cartilage plays an important role in joint health. It lacks 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 allows the bone heads in the joints to rotate freely and painlessly, reducing friction damage to zero. When jumping, the cartilage acts as a shock absorber and absorbs the inertial load.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis "tie up" the work of the joints and impede full movement. Some of the symptoms of these diseases are similar, while others are radically different.
Physiological processes in arthritis
When a person experiences 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 any component of the joint:
- the synovial membrane, which is located along the edges;
- Synovial fluid, which nourishes tissues and acts as a lubricant;
- Joint capsule.
Patients with arthritis complain of acute pain, for example in the knee, restricted mobility of the limbs. Fever and reddening of the inflamed area are characteristic. The pain may be "steamy" and affect a similar joint on the other limb.
A constant sign of the disease is visually distinguishable external tissue edema.
Despite the decrease in the functionality of the joint, its internal structure does not change. This is simply an inflammation of the cartilage caused by metabolic disorders, infections or trauma, which, with appropriate treatment, can be eliminated without further degradation of the joint.
Physiological processes in osteoarthritis
This disease is more likely to be associated with internal changes in the joint. Since the cartilage does not lack blood vessels, it is nourished and rebuilt by synovial fluid, which contains the necessary beneficial chemicals.
With age, the metabolic processes slow down and the cartilage tissue that receives less food begins to wear out faster than it does to recover. This leads to its thinning.
The degrading thin cartilage is no longer able to dampen well under load, so that patients with osteoarthritis feel pain when walking or working with the affected joint.
Inflammatory processes are not observed. The disease is exclusively age-related and associated with the individual characteristics of the lifestyle (correct eating habits and the intake of additional supporting 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 that is inherently painful. There is no swelling or redness.
Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects a specific joint. There is no parallel development in the same place in the adjacent limb. The disease often "selects" a large "knot" in the anatomy. It can be the hip or knee joint.
Similar and different features - in short, the main thing
Arthritis and osteoarthritis share similarities in the manifestation of some of the symptoms. They are:
- Stiffness on waking, numbness in the joint;
- Loss of full motor function in the extremity;
- Pain syndrome that makes performing elementary actions uncomfortable.
Despite the general symptoms and the nature of the sensations, their number and location, they can tell what type of illness they are referring to. Differences in the manifestations of ailments will help to more accurately identify the diagnosis.
So what is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis:
- The first has a significant increase in body temperature against the background of inflammation. In the case of the second disease, this is not due to the gradual and imperceptible development of degenerative processes.
- Arthritis has pronounced tissue edema. This symptom is absent in osteoarthritis.
- Inflammation of the cartilage tissue can lead to the formation of subcutaneous nodules. The second disease does not cause this abnormality.
- Arthritis does not lead to anatomical deformities. In fact, osteoarthritis renders the joint incapable of action (in an extreme stage).
- Arthritis causes reddening of the skin around the affected joint. Osteoarthritis is not characterized by a change in skin pigmentation.
Details on differences and similarities
By taking a closer look at the symptoms, you can highlight the nuances that will help locate the "enemy" who hit 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. Since arthritis is associated with joint inflammation, pain is an integral part of the overall course of the disease. She has a sharp character. Sometimes patients can feel it at night or in the morning. Painful sensations cause suffering regardless of the nature of the person's actions.
Osteoarthritis pain is associated with the breakdown of cartilage and the inability to fully serve its purpose. Damping and friction reduction are not carried out at the correct level, so the bone apparatus is injured.
Painful pain and is more common after a long walk or other stress on the affected joint. In the initial stages, the pain can be subtle, but the picture changes as the disease progresses.
deformation
Both diseases affect the structure of the joint apparatus. Physiological changes in arthritis are more visual in nature. That:
- Swelling;
- the formation of nodules;
- Reddening of the skin;
- Temperature.
Arthritis can be accompanied by: psoriasis, increased sweating and weakness. Only some types of disease (trauma and osteoarthritis) can change the structural structure of the anatomical node.
With arthritic manifestations, the joint looks as usual on the outside, but irreversible processes take place inside. The cartilage layer becomes thinner, which leads to increasing stress on the bone tissue.
Inflammatory process
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 located in the joint capsule. A blood test in such patients shows raised white blood cells.
The inflammation can be caused by an injury or infection.
With osteoarthritis, the mass of leukocytes is normal due to the lack of an inflammatory process. Degenerative changes run smoothly, often unnoticed by the patient.
Crunch and clicks
A sharp noise in the joint is a sure sign of osteoarthritis. This is due to the breakdown of cartilage and the painful interaction of bone tissue. In healthy people, sometimes all of their joints crunch. The difference between the affected area is that the sound is "dry" and "rough".
Arthritis does not crackle because the swollen joint is restricted in its movement and its cartilage still protects the bone tissue from painful interactions.
Joint mobility
The limitation of joint work combines the symptoms of these diseases. However, there is a significant difference in the nature of the violation.
In arthritic pathology, the range of motion decreases, but it does so gradually as the cartilage wears away. Arthritis is characterized by severe stiffness that paralyzes the work of the joint. This is due to swelling and inflammation.
Common and diverse causes of development
These diseases can develop from injuries while jumping or running. Joint diseases can be caused by heavy and prolonged stress. This is the "professional" legacy of many athletes. Delayed hypothermia is another contributing factor to the development of both diseases.
The difference between the conditions is that arthritis can occur due to an infection that has entered the body, which is not typical of osteoarthritis. This is a general inflammation in which arthritic manifestation is only a consequence, for the treatment of which it is necessary to find and eliminate the primary source. Another cause of arthritis can be obesity, which puts stress on the joints on a daily basis.
Osteoarthritis is a disease in its own right that is not related to general health conditions. It can arise due to the poor quality of nutrition and insufficient supply of the cartilage tissue with the necessary substances. This can be promoted by hormonal disorders and circulatory disorders, which impair the supply of other tissues. The disease more often "accompanies" the elderly.
Risk zone
A person of any age can develop arthritis. As a result of the infection, the joints of young children can already be affected. 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.
Obesity, poor diet and lots of exercise increase the likelihood of developing both diseases.
Treatment approach
When diagnosing these diseases, a partially similar treatment is prescribed, which consists in:
- Establishing a protective treatment that excludes stress on the affected joints;
- Taking drugs that nourish cartilage tissue and restore its volume;
- Massage in combination with physiotherapeutic exercises, which improves blood flow to the sore spot and natural metabolism;
- Pain relief with pain relievers;
- intra-articular blockage;
- Oxygen supply to the joint;
- special complex meals.
The difference between treatments is an antibiotic regimen for infectious arthritis to get rid of the cause of the disease.
With arthritic manifestations, surgical intervention is a separate way to get rid of the disease. This is necessary with complete destruction of the cartilage. In such a situation, it is replaced with a prosthetic joint.
Disease prevention
A distinction can be made between preventive measures for both complaints:
- Moderate stress. Take time out of the cardio group to exercise several times a week. This promotes joint mobility without unnecessary stress like lifting a barbell.
- Don't overcool.
- Eat properly. Food should be rich in trace elements and vitamins.
- Maintain a healthy weight so your joints don't wear out prematurely.
- Avoid joint injuries. Avoid jumping from great heights and lifting weights.
- In old age, walking with a stick, which reduces stress on the leg, where disease can develop.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
For arthritis, additional prevention is the rapid diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases that prevent the inflammation from spreading to other locations.