Joint pain can make life unbearable.After visiting a doctor, a record of diagnosed osteoarthritis or arthritis will appear on the outpatient consultation card.
People far from medicine have little idea of the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis and mistakenly consider them to be the same disease.
In fact, these are two completely different pathological processes that can occur simultaneously.
osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis refers to degenerative inflammatory processes and develops due to age-related changes in the structure of cartilage tissue.
It affects the mobile joints of large bones and, less commonly, the joints of the fingers.
Appearance of a joint with osteoarthritis
The main cause of pathological changes is metabolic disorders in cartilage.Violation of cartilage trophism leads to irreversible loss of proteoglycans and loss of tissue elasticity.
Dystrophic changes in cartilage involve pathological changes in the structure of the articular surfaces of bones.Over time, the degeneration process extends to the periarticular tissues.
Types of osteoarthritis
Depending on its origin, a distinction is made between primary and secondary osteoarthritis.
The primary form affects previously healthy joints and is a consequence of age-related changes and inadequate physical activity.The time of appearance of the first symptoms of osteoarthritis depends on the hereditary predisposition, the characteristics of professional activity and lifestyle.
People over 45 years of age were traditionally considered to be at risk, but there is now a steady trend towards early incidence.The disease mainly affects women, but with age the gender dependence gradually softens.
Secondary osteoarthritis develops against the background of a previous injury or certain diseases of a different nature, including:
- autoimmune processes;
- metabolic disorders;
- endocrine dysfunction;
- pathologies of the structure of bone joints;
- genetic diseases;
- inflammatory processes.
Secondary osteoarthritis is not associated with the aging process and can occur at any age.
There are three stages in the development of the disease.
In the first stage, changes occur in the joint fluid.The nutrition of the cartilage is altered and its resistance to stress decreases.Roughness appears on the surface of the cartilage and inflammation develops, accompanied by pain.
As the disease progresses to the second stage, pain becomes habitual and the course of accompanying inflammation becomes undulatory.The cartilage begins to deteriorate and compensatory bone growths form at the edges of the joint area.Periarticular muscles are involved in pathological processes.
The third stage is characterized by severe depletion of articular cartilage with areas of complete tissue destruction.Degenerative processes lead to irreversible anatomical changes, including changes in the axis of the limb.The function of the ligamentous apparatus is disturbed, abnormal mobility appears in the affected joint against the background of limited natural mobility.
Depending on the location of the lesion, the following are distinguished:
- gonarthrosis,
- coxarthrosis,
- spondyloarthrosis,
- osteoarthritis of the interphalangeal joints of the hands.
Other localizations of pathology are relatively rare.
Gonarthrosis, osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
Risk factors for the development of this disease include hereditary predisposition, excessive use or knee injuries due to work characteristics.
According to statistics, osteoarthritis lesions in the knee joints are most often diagnosed in women.
In the early stages of development, the disease manifests itself as discomfort in the affected joint and severe pain.Depending on the causes of the injury, several forms of gonarthrosis are distinguished.
Some of them are characterized by a lack of long-term progression;The patient's condition remains stable for decades.However, there are also those that develop rapidly and cause a loss of mobility of the affected limb.
Coxatrosis, osteoarthritis of the hip joint.
With this disease, a classic clinical picture of osteoarthritis is observed.
The first symptom of coxarthrosis is discomfort in the hip joint after physical activity.
With progressive coxarthrosis, pain increases, stiffness and limited mobility appear.
Patients with a severe form of coxarthrosis respect the affected limb, avoid stepping on it and, while standing, choose positions in which less pain is felt.
Spinal osteoarthritis, spondyloarthrosis
Spondyloarthrosis refers to pathologies that develop against the background of degenerative processes in the intervertebral discs.
The first and main symptom of the development of spinal osteoarthritis is pain when bending from side to side or back and forth.
When a person adopts a horizontal position, the pain gradually disappears.
Over time, in the absence of proper treatment, the mobility of the affected part of the spine can be completely lost.
Without proper treatment, spinal osteoarthritis can cause intervertebral hernias and joint deformities.In severe cases, the patient loses the ability to perform normal movements and becomes disabled.
Osteoarthritis of the interphalangeal joints of the hands.
The disease mainly affects women.Among the first symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain when coming into contact with cold water and when straining the fingers.Over time, the joints are deformed due to the compaction of adjacent tissues and the formation of characteristic bone outgrowths.
The disease has an undulatory course, in the acute stage the joints swell, partially lose mobility and tactile sensitivity may be affected.
Osteoarthritis treatment
It is impossible to completely cure osteoarthritis with modern medicine.However, timely diagnosis and complex therapy aimed at preventing further destruction of cartilage tissue help to stabilize the condition of the affected joint and significantly improve the patient's quality of life.
First of all, it is necessary to reduce the load on the musculoskeletal system.Doctors recommend avoiding carrying heavy objects, staying in one position for a long time, and limiting standing time.For overweight patients, it is vital to lose weight.
The following is used in the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, internally in the form of injections or tablets and externally as part of ointments.The form and regimen of use are prescribed depending on the patient's condition;
- drugs from the group of chondroprotectors to maintain the state of cartilage tissue;
- Steroid anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of intra-articular injections.Prescribed in serious cases;
- Hyaluronic acid preparations to improve joint mobility.
Additionally, hot compresses and ointments, medications that activate blood microcirculation and metabolic processes, antioxidants and complexes of microelements and vitamins with selenium are used, and physiotherapeutic treatments are prescribed.In severe cases, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
During the period of remission, the patient is recommended exercise treatment, selected in accordance with the characteristics of the course of the disease.
arthritis
Arthritis is an inflammatory disease that occurs as an underlying disease, a concomitant pathology, or as a complication of a previous infectious disease.
Appearance of joints with arthritis.
Among the typical causes of inflammatory processes in the joints:
- metabolic disorders in the body;
- lack of vitamins;
- injuries;
- autoimmune diseases;
- Infectious lesions of various etiologies.
Unlike osteoarthritis, the pathological processes of arthritis affect the periarticular tissues.The appearance of pain does not depend on physical activity or body position, and it usually bothers at night.
Rattles in the joints characteristic of the early stages of osteoarthritis are rarely observed.A general blood test indicates the presence of an inflammatory process;When examining joints, characteristic degenerative changes in cartilage are rarely detected.
The common symptom of both diseases is pain.Any unusual and unpleasant sensation in the joints is a good reason to see a doctor.The success of treatment largely depends on the timely detection and treatment of the disease.
Types of arthritis
According to its appearance, arthritis is divided into several types:
- infectious arthritis.They develop as independent diseases due to infection of wounds (primary infectious arthritis) or when a pathogen enters the bloodstream from organs affected by the infection (secondary arthritis);
- rheumatoid arthritis.This chronic disease is of infectious-autoimmune origin and usually develops in middle-aged and older people;
- gouty arthritis.The inflammatory process is caused by microtraumatization of the cartilage surface by crystals of uric acid salts formed in the joint capsule;
- traumatic arthritisdevelops as a reaction to trauma, but can develop several years after its consequences have been eliminated;
- juvenile rheumatoid arthritisIt affects children under 16 years of age.The causes of this disease are not yet known.The course is chronic, progressive.
The course of arthritis can be acute or chronic.In the acute course, the disease develops rapidly, with severe swelling, severe pain in the affected area and an increase in local or general temperature.
In chronic arthritis, symptoms increase gradually and the disease can progress over years.With untimely or inadequate treatment, acute arthritis can become chronic.
Depending on the characteristics of the lesion, monoarthritis and polyarthritis are distinguished.In monoarthritis, the lesion is located in one of the joints;when several joints are involved in the pathological process, a diagnosis of polyarthritis is made.
Arthritis treatment
The treatment strategy for arthritis depends on the causes of the disease and the severity of the patient's condition.For infectious arthritis, patients are prescribed treatment with antibiotics or other medications, depending on the nature of the pathogen.
To eliminate inflammation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories are used in the form of injections, tablets and/or topically in the form of ointment or gel.
Additionally, drugs from the group of chondroprotectors, antihistamines and general restoratives can be prescribed.In some cases, patients are prescribed drugs that improve blood microcirculation.
In addition to drug treatment, patients are prescribed a course of physiotherapy procedures and, during the period of remission, a series of physiotherapy exercises.
In severe and advanced cases, surgery may be necessary.
Without the help of specialists, arthritis and osteoarthritis can lead to disability.
Self-medication for joint diseases is contraindicated;In the vast majority of cases, the patient's condition progressively worsens.
Any change in the functionality of the joint is reason for a visit to the doctor.
Preventive measures
To prevent arthritis and osteoarthritis, it is important to optimize physical activity, avoiding overload.People diagnosed with the disease, as well as those who are at risk, should adjust their diet in favor of healthy foods, reduce alcohol consumption, and quit smoking.
People prone to obesity are recommended to maintain a normal body weight, since increased load on the musculoskeletal system can provoke or accelerate pathological changes.
For timely detection of the disease in the early stages, it is important to undergo regular preventive examinations.