The 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 does not have blood vessels and nerve endings, so it can be strong and withstand heavy loads. This softens the effect on the tissues in which there are nerve fibers or blood capillaries.
As the body moves, the cartilage provides an unhindered and painless rotation of the bone heads in the joints, reducing frictional damage to zero. When jumping, the cartilaginous tissue acts as shock absorbers and absorbs inertial load.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis "grease" 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 appearance of a disease such as arthritis. This disorder means inflammation of the cartilage.
The disease can affect all components of the joint:
- the synovial membrane located along the edges;
- synovial fluid that nourishes tissues and acts as a lubricant;
- articular capsule.
Patients with arthritis complain of acute pain, for example in the knee, limitation of limb mobility. Fever and redness in the inflamed area are characteristic. The pain may be "steaming", affecting a similar joint on the other limb.
A constant sign of the disease is visually distinct external tissue edema.
Despite the decrease in the functionality of the joint, its internal structure does not change. This is only inflammation of the cartilage, caused by metabolic disorders, 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. As 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 the cartilage tissue, which receives less nourishment, begins to wear out faster than it recovers. This leads to its thinning.
The decaying thin cartilage is no longer able to dampen 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 exclusively age-related and associated with the individual characteristics of the lifestyle (proper diet and intake of additional 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 pain that hurts in nature. There is no swelling or redness.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects a specific joint. There is no parallel development in the same place in the adjacent limb. The disease often "chooses" a large "knot" in the anatomy. It can be the hip or knee joint.
Similar and different features - brief about the most important
Arthritis and osteoarthritis have similarities in the manifestation of some of the symptoms. They are:
- stiffness after waking, feeling of numbness in the joint
- loss of full motor function in the limb;
- pain syndrome that makes performing elementary actions uncomfortable.
Despite the general symptoms and the nature of the sensations, their number and place, they can tell what type of disease they are dealing with. Differences in manifestations of disorders help to identify the diagnosis more accurately.
So what is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis:
- The first has a clear increase in body temperature due to inflammation. In the second disease, this is not due to the gradual and imperceptible development of degenerative processes.
- Gout has pronounced tissue edema. In case of osteoarthritis, this symptom is absent.
- Inflammation of the 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. Osteoarthritis actually renders the joint incapacitated (at an extreme stage).
- With arthritis, there is redness in the skin around the affected joint. Osteoarthritis is not characterized by a change in skin pigmentation.
Detailed differences and similarities
With a closer look at the symptoms, you can highlight the nuances that help locate the "enemy" that 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. However, since arthritis is associated with arthritis, pain is an integral part of the entire course of the disease. She has a sharp character. Sometimes patients may feel it at night or in the morning. Painful sensations cause suffering regardless of the type of person's actions.
Pain in osteoarthritis is associated with degradation of cartilage and inability to fully fulfill its purpose. Shock absorption and friction reduction are not performed at the correct level, therefore the bone apparatus is damaged.
Painful and occurs more often after a long walk or other strain on the affected joint. In the initial phase, pain may 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. That:
- swelling;
- the formation of nodules
- redness of the skin;
- temperature.
Gout can be accompanied by: psoriasis, increased sweating and weakness. Only some types of disease (traumatic and osteoarthritis) can change the structural structure of the anatomical nodule.
With arthritic manifestations, the joint looks outward as normal, but irreversible processes take place inside. The cartilage layer becomes thinner, leading to an increasing load on the bone tissue.
Inflammatory process
Arthritis manifestations are characterized by swelling in the affected joint.
This is due to inflammation in the synovial film itself, which is inside the joint capsule. A blood test shows elevated leukocytes in such patients.
The inflammation can be due to 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 click
A crunching sound in the joint is a sure sign of osteoarthritis. This is due to deterioration of cartilage and the painful interaction between bone tissue. In healthy people, all joints crunch sometimes. The difference between the affected area is that the sound will be "dry" and "rough".
Gout does not crack because the swollen joint is restricted 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 infringement.
In arthritic pathology, the range of motion decreases, but this happens gradually as the cartilage wears out. Arthritis is characterized by extensive 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 sustained during jumping or running. Joint disease can be caused by a strong and prolonged load. This is the "professional" legacy of many athletes. Postponed 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 of osteoarthritis. This is a general inflammation in which arthritic manifestation will only be a consequence of which treatment it is necessary to find and eliminate the primary source. Another cause of arthritis may be obesity, which overloads the joints daily.
Osteoarthritis is a separate disease that is not related to general health conditions. It can develop due to the poor nutritional quality and the supply of insufficient amounts of the necessary substances to the cartilage tissue. This can be facilitated by hormonal disorders and circulatory diseases which impair the supply of other tissues. More often, the disease "accompanies" the elderly.
Risk zone
A person of any age can develop arthritis. As a consequence of the infection, it can affect the joints of even 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 60 years. This is due to an aggravated metabolic process and other aging factors. People with arthritis are more likely to develop osteoarthritis.
Obesity, poor diet and heavy exercise increase the likelihood of developing both diseases.
Treatment method
In diagnosing these diseases, a partially similar treatment is prescribed, which consists of:
- establishing a sparse regime that eliminates stress on the affected joints;
- takes medication that nourishes the cartilage tissue and restores its volume
- massage in combination with physiotherapy exercises that improve blood flow to the sore spot and natural metabolism;
- pain relief with painkillers;
- intra-articular blockade;
- oxygenation of the joint;
- special complex meals.
The difference between treatment is a course of antibiotics in case of infectious arthritis to eliminate the cause of the disease.
For arthritic manifestations, surgery is a separate way of eliminating 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 a preventive measure for both disorders, the following can be distinguished:
- Moderate stress. Set aside time for exercise from the cardio group several times a week. This promotes joint mobility without unnecessary stress, as in the case of lifting a barbell.
- Do not overcool.
- Eat properly. Foods should be rich in trace elements and vitamins.
- Maintain a healthy weight so that your joints do not wear out too soon.
- Avoid joint damage. Avoid jumping from great heights and lifting weights.
- In old age, walking with a cane reduces the strain on the leg where a disorder can develop.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
For arthritis, further prevention will be prompt diagnosis and treatment of any infectious disease that prevents inflammation from spreading to other sites.