Arthritis and osteoarthritis are quite common today. Many people confuse these diseases due to the similarity in their manifestation. However, in fact, both disorders are very different from each other. You can tell the difference between diseases only if you study their characteristics.
Types of pathology
It is impossible to define joint disease on the basis of pain alone. Almost all diseases of the musculoskeletal system are accompanied by pain.
The following diseases are the most common:
- Arthritiscaused by inflammation of the joint surface. This inflammation occurs for various reasons. The primary form develops against the background of a number of diseases of a gouty, septic and rheumatic nature.
The secondary form can develop after systemic lupus erythematosus, borreliosis, arthropathy.
- Arthrosiswhich causes destruction of the cartilage and part of the underlying bone.
Primary usually develops for no reason. It usually occurs in older people and affects the surface of large symmetrical bone joints.
The secondary form of the disease occurs after suffering a severe illness. Often the development of this form is caused by a genetic predisposition.
Often, inflammation of large bone joints (shoulder, knee) is caused by excessive weight, intense physical exertion, past trauma and endocrinological diseases.
- Arthropathy is a violation of the integrity of the joints due to the transferred complex disorders.
- Tendonitis is an inflammatory process that occurs in the tendons.
- Enthesitis - structural changes at the junction of the soft tissue with the bone.
- Bursitis is a lesion of the bursa.
- Capsulitis - inflammation and violation of the integrity of the joint capsule.
How to distinguish osteoarthritis of varying severity from arthritis? You need to know that arthritis and arthrosis disease have a different nature of manifestation, which determines the treatment of arthritis.
Difference in functionality
How is arthritis different from osteoarthritis? Signs that indicate the presence of a particular disorder. The signs of arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee joint are specific.
What is osteoarthritis? A chronic disease that is inherently destructive. The peculiarity of the disease is that it affects the cartilage and is irreversible.
The disease most often affects people of both sexes over the age of 60. That is, osteoarthritis of the knee joint is considered a disease during which large-scale destruction of cartilage occurs. Initially, a large joint is affected, for example the ankle. It is his treatment that should receive special attention.
When rheumatoid arthritis touches the hands or feet, inflammation occurs simultaneously in several bone joints. The main difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis is that the second ailment is accompanied by inflammation of the large bone joints: knee, shoulder.
Arthritis has a number of secondary symptoms. In particular, it causes swelling of the joints, redness around them. In addition, the patient has a fever, blocking the motor functions. One of the factors can provoke a disorder: allergies, infectious diseases, metabolic disorders and trauma.
In the case of an inflammatory process, the motor activity of a person is impaired. In particular, the range of motion is significantly reduced. This restriction applies both to those movements that are performed independently and to those for which a person needs help.
Inflammation affects one or more joints at the same time. Usually this phenomenon is accompanied by pain without a clear point of their localization, and the articular surface of the ankle or foot joint remains intact.
It is worth remembering that the main danger of this ailment is that changes occur not only in bone tissues, but also in other organs, for example, the digestive, visual and excretory organs. The changes can also affect the dermis.
The disease affects people of any age, however, most often, the disease is diagnosed in women between the ages of 35 and 50.
As far as pain is concerned, arthritis accompanies it all the time. In the presence of osteoarthritis, the destruction of bone tissue is usually asymptomatic, without causing any pain, so that the patient does not notice it.
In the first case, the disease manifests itself in some way. It is accompanied by weakness of the body, sometimes psoriasis. In the second case, all inflammatory changes occur without external signs.
Arthritic inflammation manifests itself externally with swelling of the soft tissues. They are also characterized by paralysis of the joints. Changes of a different nature occur smoothly and practically do not manifest themselves. However, they are characterized by a specific "dry" crunch that occurs as a result of joint wear.
What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis? The second causes the destruction of cartilage and rheumatic disease manifests itself as inflammation of the bone tissue. These are the main signs with which arthritis that has affected a person or arthrosis can be distinguished.
Difference in symptoms
How does osteoarthritis of different origins differ from arthritis? Osteoarthritis and arthritis differ in the symptoms of the disease. Knowing them is very important, as symptoms and treatment are related.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee joint show similar symptoms. However, you can still tell them apart. Arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee joint and others are manifested by severe pain. However, the nature of the pain is different. With osteoarthritis, the patient feels pain when moving or due to a heavy load on the knees. He has pain, the attack lasts a long time.
The first stage is characterized by mild pain, therefore the disease is often detected only during diagnosis.
In the next stage, even under light load conditions, the patient feels pain.
In the third stage of its development, the disease is considered neglected. Pain can appear even when there is no movement. After changing the position of the joint to a comfortable one, the pain subsides.
A disease of the hand, shoulder or hip is characterized by a sharp pain that does not go away at all. Often a pain attack begins early in the morning. Symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis are different. You can tell if arthritis or osteoarthritis has affected the joints by the presence of a crunch in them. If it is felt, it means that the second ailment has affected the bone joint.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint or other large joints can be accompanied by a crunch if the cartilage layers have been destroyed and there is direct contact of the bones.
The disease adversely affects the mobility of an affected joint. For example, osteoarthritis of the knee is accompanied by pain in the leg. Arthritic arthritis or another type of arthritis occurs with a feeling of stiffness throughout the body.
How is arthritis different from osteoarthritis? In addition, gonarthrosis proceeds without external swelling, but with an external change in the joints.
Osteoarthritis or arthritis affects the joints: what's the difference? In addition to the main symptoms, arthritis is accompanied by hyperthermia, eye inflammation, excessive sweating and weakness.
Differences in diagnostics
It is possible to diagnose arthritis of various origins and arthrosis only by determining the cause of the development of this disease. Treatment begins only after determining the level of activity of the development of the disease. Also, during the diagnosis, the attending physician must make a prognosis to prevent an unfavorable outcome.
Treatment of osteoarthritis in various stages and arthritis begins only after a detailed diagnosis.
The medical test complex consists of general clinical laboratory research, X-rays, microscopy and bacteriological research.
Diseases of different origins differ in the results of the analyzes performed.
If arthritis and osteoarthritis are not treated promptly, it will become impossible to cure them. In addition, systematic prevention of arthritis and arthrosis should be carried out. Do you want to get rid of arthritis and osteoarthritis through effective treatment? Undergo a major examination that includes MRI and arthroscopy.
An informative method that allows you to identify the difference in the manifestations of arthritis from arthrosis of the knee joint is radiography.
Treatment differences
How are arthritis and osteoarthritis treated? Symptoms and treatment for ailments are related. Arthritis treatment for osteoarthritis is the same, but there are some differences. From the point of view of medicine, diseases differ, therefore, the treatment of forms of osteoarthritis and arthritis is certain.
How to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis? Complex therapy will help cure any ailments. In both cases, patients with osteoarthritis and arthritis are prescribed treatment, including medications (drugs are prescribed by a doctor). Physiotherapy, that is, physical therapy, is prescribed, which is especially important for patients with arthritis or a form of osteoarthritis of the knee joint, as it helps speed up treatment. For arthritis and arthrosis of the joints, treatment includes diets, the menu of which varies.
Those who want to improve their health "without drugs" often undergo treatment with various folk remedies.
Diseases can last long enough and become chronic. Despite the reason for their appearance, they provoke the development of complications. That is why patients need to be under medical supervision constantly or for a long time and undergo rehabilitation, the program of which was developed especially for them.
To avoid the development of ailments, special attention should be paid to the prevention of diseases.
- In the first place, it is necessary to treat all diseases of the musculoskeletal system in time and undergo a full rehabilitation after injuries.
- Secondly, you should limit or at least dose your physical activity, eat right and monitor your weight.
- Third, you should systematically consult a doctor to determine the presence and correct bone deformities over time.
So the difference between the two diseases is significant. It manifests itself in symptoms, signs and causes of ailments. The nature of the course is also specific. In the absence of timely qualified assistance, inflammatory processes in bone tissue and cartilage can provoke complications.
Prevention will help to avoid the development of this or that disease, which should be paid special attention.